A life of faith
Series: A Time To Build
Speaker: Steve Jeffrey
Date: 21st July 2013
Passage: Nehemiah 1:1-2:5
00:00:00 --> 00:00:08 I recently passed a personal milestone just over a month ago, 20 years as a disciple of the Lord Jesus.
00:00:09 --> 00:00:11 It was the 31st of May, 1993.
00:00:12 --> 00:00:20 I was sitting in the big shed on the Katoomba side, up at Katoomba, on the Christian Convention side in Katoomba.
00:00:20 --> 00:00:23 And I remember it specifically as a Friday night.
00:00:23 --> 00:00:34 It was cold, but I remember the words of John Wesley, my heart was strangely warmed as my chains fell off.
00:00:34 --> 00:00:39 My heart was free and I rose and I went forth and followed him, the Lord Jesus.
00:00:40 --> 00:00:44 And I've been exposed all of my life up until then to the Bible.
00:00:46 --> 00:00:48 Prayer was pretty much a normal thing.
00:00:48 --> 00:00:53 I even gave money to Christian organizations.
00:00:54 --> 00:00:58 But up until that point, I had trusted in myself and not Jesus.
00:00:59 --> 00:01:08 And the biggest and immediate change that happened in my life when I became a Christian was a love for Jesus' church.
00:01:10 --> 00:01:13 It didn't exist up until that point.
00:01:15 --> 00:01:18 I was suspicious and even judgmental of the church.
00:01:18 --> 00:01:25 But a love for Christ went hand in hand with a love for Christ's church.
00:01:26 --> 00:01:28 And I think the New Testament expects it.
00:01:29 --> 00:01:32 Listen to how Paul puts it to the Ephesian church.
00:01:33 --> 00:01:37 Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy,
00:01:38 --> 00:01:40 cleansing her by the washing with water through the word.
00:01:40 --> 00:01:50 And present her to himself as a radiant church without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish,
00:01:50 --> 00:01:52 but holy and blameless.
00:01:52 --> 00:02:02 The church that Christ loves is one of the key features of God's plan for time and eternity.
00:02:02 --> 00:02:09 All who love the Lord Jesus Christ ought to love the church,
00:02:09 --> 00:02:13 which is the object of Christ's love.
00:02:15 --> 00:02:21 And so I would suggest from the New Testament that there is something wrong with professing Christians
00:02:21 --> 00:02:30 who do not identify with the church and love it and invest themselves in it and carry its needs on their hearts.
00:02:30 --> 00:02:35 Now when I say love for the church,
00:02:36 --> 00:02:40 I don't mean love for the institutional church.
00:02:40 --> 00:02:42 Just need to clarify that.
00:02:42 --> 00:02:46 Those who love the church in its institutional form
00:02:46 --> 00:02:52 will have an enthusiasm for its liturgy, ceremony, bureaucracy,
00:02:52 --> 00:02:55 and the labor that keeps the wheels turning.
00:02:55 --> 00:03:00 It will express itself in a strong interest in preservation,
00:03:01 --> 00:03:04 maintenance, and the nurture within a closed group,
00:03:05 --> 00:03:07 accompanied by an indifference,
00:03:07 --> 00:03:18 or even an opposition to revival, evangelism, and conversions that ultimately drive change.
00:03:19 --> 00:03:24 The church that I fell in love with is the New Testament picture of God's people
00:03:24 --> 00:03:30 getting together on a regular basis to do the things that the church does.
00:03:31 --> 00:03:32 To praise and pray,
00:03:33 --> 00:03:35 to hear the word of God through preaching and teaching,
00:03:35 --> 00:03:40 to practice fellowship and pastoral care with mutual encouragement and accountability,
00:03:41 --> 00:03:44 to exalt and honor Jesus Christ,
00:03:44 --> 00:03:47 specifically by word and song and sacrament,
00:03:47 --> 00:03:50 to reach out locally and cross-culturally
00:03:50 --> 00:03:54 in order to share Christ with people who need him.
00:03:56 --> 00:03:58 A church that sees itself not as an institution,
00:04:00 --> 00:04:03 but as Mission HQ
00:04:03 --> 00:04:06 for the glory of God.
00:04:08 --> 00:04:12 It's a love for the church that is expressed in a constant quest
00:04:12 --> 00:04:16 for faithfulness and holiness and vitality
00:04:16 --> 00:04:19 in our individual and corporate life.
00:04:19 --> 00:04:22 A love that results in a deep care
00:04:22 --> 00:04:24 for the faithfulness and holiness and obedience
00:04:24 --> 00:04:28 and spiritual vitality and a missional effectiveness of the church.
00:04:28 --> 00:04:32 A love that is committed to praying and planning and sacrificing
00:04:32 --> 00:04:34 and laboring and praying again
00:04:34 --> 00:04:38 for the reformation and revitalization of the people of God.
00:04:40 --> 00:04:43 That is what the next 30 days of time to build is all about.
00:04:46 --> 00:04:48 What is immediate obvious to most of us
00:04:48 --> 00:04:50 is that we have a building project.
00:04:50 --> 00:04:52 It's kind of obvious.
00:04:54 --> 00:04:56 It's been in process for three years.
00:04:58 --> 00:04:59 Today we are voting as a church
00:04:59 --> 00:05:01 as to whether we will proceed or not.
00:05:03 --> 00:05:04 And if we do,
00:05:05 --> 00:05:07 and I've suggested that we should,
00:05:08 --> 00:05:09 then one of the purposes
00:05:09 --> 00:05:11 of the next 30 days of time to build
00:05:11 --> 00:05:13 is to raise the almost $1 million
00:05:13 --> 00:05:15 we need to fund the project.
00:05:15 --> 00:05:20 But even if we vote not to proceed with the building project,
00:05:21 --> 00:05:22 this stuff's staying here
00:05:22 --> 00:05:24 and we're proceeding with time to build.
00:05:26 --> 00:05:29 Because what is most important to me in time to build
00:05:29 --> 00:05:31 is the building, reforming,
00:05:31 --> 00:05:33 and revitalization of the church,
00:05:33 --> 00:05:34 the people of God.
00:05:36 --> 00:05:39 Which is why time to build has three purposes.
00:05:40 --> 00:05:42 Three other purposes, I should say.
00:05:42 --> 00:05:45 And that is spiritual growth across the church,
00:05:46 --> 00:05:47 the building of fellowship,
00:05:48 --> 00:05:49 and the building of gratitude.
00:05:52 --> 00:05:54 Even as we seek to redevelop our facilities,
00:05:55 --> 00:05:57 the church that Christ is building
00:05:57 --> 00:06:00 is the community of men and women,
00:06:00 --> 00:06:00 boys and girls,
00:06:01 --> 00:06:04 who have been redeemed by God the Father
00:06:04 --> 00:06:06 through the finished work of the Savior,
00:06:06 --> 00:06:08 Jesus Christ, on the cross.
00:06:08 --> 00:06:12 This building means hearts being changed
00:06:12 --> 00:06:15 so that repentance and faith and obedience
00:06:15 --> 00:06:19 become more and more the pattern of our lives.
00:06:19 --> 00:06:21 And the evidence of such building work
00:06:21 --> 00:06:24 will be the humility and purity
00:06:24 --> 00:06:26 and love and zeal for God and His Word,
00:06:26 --> 00:06:28 a devotion to pray,
00:06:28 --> 00:06:30 a love for the people of God,
00:06:30 --> 00:06:32 a deep passion for those who need Christ.
00:06:33 --> 00:06:36 That is biblical church growth.
00:06:36 --> 00:06:41 And Nehemiah will instruct us in the next 30 days
00:06:41 --> 00:06:45 because Nehemiah is about building saints
00:06:45 --> 00:06:48 even as he seeks to rebuild Jerusalem.
00:06:50 --> 00:06:51 Nehemiah loves the glory of God
00:06:51 --> 00:06:53 and the people of God
00:06:53 --> 00:06:57 more than the place where they came together.
00:06:58 --> 00:07:01 His passion is for the relationship
00:07:01 --> 00:07:02 between God and His people,
00:07:02 --> 00:07:08 not so much the walls of Jerusalem.
00:07:10 --> 00:07:12 Nehemiah was governor in Jerusalem
00:07:12 --> 00:07:14 for 13 years.
00:07:16 --> 00:07:18 It took him 51 days to build the walls.
00:07:24 --> 00:07:26 Nehemiah starts in chapter 1, verse 1,
00:07:26 --> 00:07:28 thousands of kilometers away
00:07:28 --> 00:07:32 from their homeland of God's people.
00:07:32 --> 00:07:34 Nehemiah is writing in his diary
00:07:34 --> 00:07:36 in the month of Kislev in the 20th year.
00:07:37 --> 00:07:39 That's about 140 years
00:07:39 --> 00:07:41 after the most devastating event
00:07:41 --> 00:07:43 in the history of Israel.
00:07:44 --> 00:07:46 An event that they were warned would happen,
00:07:47 --> 00:07:49 but it didn't cause them
00:07:49 --> 00:07:50 to reform their life together
00:07:50 --> 00:07:52 in order to stop it from happening.
00:07:53 --> 00:07:55 And if you've read the Old Testament,
00:07:55 --> 00:07:56 then you would know
00:07:56 --> 00:07:58 that God had formed a people for Himself.
00:07:59 --> 00:08:00 He had called them by name.
00:08:00 --> 00:08:02 He had given them His law.
00:08:03 --> 00:08:04 He had given them a land.
00:08:04 --> 00:08:06 He had made His presence
00:08:06 --> 00:08:07 to dwell amongst them
00:08:07 --> 00:08:08 in the temple in Jerusalem.
00:08:09 --> 00:08:12 And as His special covenant people,
00:08:13 --> 00:08:15 Israel was to shine as a light
00:08:15 --> 00:08:16 to the world around
00:08:16 --> 00:08:20 so that the nations around Israel
00:08:20 --> 00:08:23 could see how brilliant it was
00:08:23 --> 00:08:27 to live in friendship with Yahweh,
00:08:27 --> 00:08:28 the God of Israel.
00:08:29 --> 00:08:32 Israel instead turned away from Yahweh.
00:08:34 --> 00:08:35 They followed other gods
00:08:35 --> 00:08:37 and they made idols.
00:08:37 --> 00:08:40 They loved their wealth and their luxury.
00:08:40 --> 00:08:42 They despised the word of God.
00:08:43 --> 00:08:46 And despite repeated warnings from God
00:08:46 --> 00:08:47 through the prophets
00:08:47 --> 00:08:49 that He would punish His people
00:08:49 --> 00:08:50 for their rebellion,
00:08:50 --> 00:08:53 they just kept turning their backs on Him.
00:08:55 --> 00:08:57 So in 587 BC,
00:08:58 --> 00:09:00 Jerusalem finally fell
00:09:00 --> 00:09:04 to the Babylonians under Nebuchadnezzar
00:09:04 --> 00:09:07 and it was utterly destroyed.
00:09:08 --> 00:09:10 The elite of the people
00:09:10 --> 00:09:13 were put in chains and dragged off.
00:09:13 --> 00:09:14 The king's eyes were put out.
00:09:14 --> 00:09:16 His wife was killed.
00:09:16 --> 00:09:17 The temple itself,
00:09:17 --> 00:09:19 the place of God's presence
00:09:19 --> 00:09:19 with His people
00:09:19 --> 00:09:22 was sacked and left in ruins.
00:09:24 --> 00:09:26 It's difficult, I think,
00:09:26 --> 00:09:29 to express the humiliation
00:09:29 --> 00:09:31 and catastrophe
00:09:31 --> 00:09:34 that this event was.
00:09:36 --> 00:09:38 Not to minimize it,
00:09:38 --> 00:09:39 but this is not like
00:09:39 --> 00:09:41 the occupation of France by Germany.
00:09:41 --> 00:09:45 This is not the annihilation
00:09:45 --> 00:09:47 of a native culture
00:09:47 --> 00:09:49 or the brutality
00:09:49 --> 00:09:51 of ethnic cleansing.
00:09:52 --> 00:09:54 It is as if Yahweh,
00:09:54 --> 00:09:56 the God of Israel,
00:09:56 --> 00:09:57 was dead.
00:10:00 --> 00:10:02 God had attached His name
00:10:02 --> 00:10:03 and His glory
00:10:03 --> 00:10:05 to that place
00:10:05 --> 00:10:05 and its temple
00:10:05 --> 00:10:06 in Jerusalem.
00:10:06 --> 00:10:09 And now all of the evidence
00:10:09 --> 00:10:11 points to the fact
00:10:11 --> 00:10:13 that He has abandoned
00:10:13 --> 00:10:14 His promises.
00:10:15 --> 00:10:17 The God who would never
00:10:17 --> 00:10:18 abandon His promises.
00:10:19 --> 00:10:20 And He must be dead.
00:10:22 --> 00:10:23 And so for many,
00:10:23 --> 00:10:25 the exile was the death of hope.
00:10:26 --> 00:10:28 But after 70 years in exile,
00:10:29 --> 00:10:30 God began to do a new thing
00:10:30 --> 00:10:33 to draw His people
00:10:33 --> 00:10:34 back to Jerusalem.
00:10:34 --> 00:10:37 Nehemiah is one of God's people
00:10:37 --> 00:10:39 still left in Babylon.
00:10:40 --> 00:10:42 But He had risen
00:10:42 --> 00:10:43 to the absolute pinnacle
00:10:43 --> 00:10:45 of the Persian corporate ladder.
00:10:46 --> 00:10:48 He was cupbearer to the king,
00:10:49 --> 00:10:50 King Artaxerxes,
00:10:50 --> 00:10:51 the most powerful man
00:10:51 --> 00:10:52 in the planet in the day.
00:10:54 --> 00:10:56 Nehemiah was the only person
00:10:56 --> 00:10:57 in the kingdom
00:10:57 --> 00:10:59 who had access to the king
00:10:59 --> 00:11:00 every day
00:11:00 --> 00:11:02 and several times a day.
00:11:02 --> 00:11:05 He had to be
00:11:05 --> 00:11:06 utterly trustworthy
00:11:06 --> 00:11:09 and an impressive individual.
00:11:10 --> 00:11:12 But his occupation
00:11:12 --> 00:11:14 is not his preoccupation.
00:11:15 --> 00:11:16 Nehemiah's interest
00:11:16 --> 00:11:17 was not his career
00:11:17 --> 00:11:18 nor himself.
00:11:18 --> 00:11:20 It was the glory of God
00:11:20 --> 00:11:21 and the people of God.
00:11:22 --> 00:11:23 His heart lies
00:11:23 --> 00:11:25 in his homeland.
00:11:25 --> 00:11:29 God had started
00:11:29 --> 00:11:30 to bring His people
00:11:30 --> 00:11:31 back to Jerusalem
00:11:31 --> 00:11:32 after 70 years of exile.
00:11:33 --> 00:11:34 But in verse 2,
00:11:34 --> 00:11:36 Nehemiah gets some bad news
00:11:36 --> 00:11:36 from home.
00:11:38 --> 00:11:40 Those who survived the exile
00:11:40 --> 00:11:42 and are back in the province
00:11:42 --> 00:11:44 are in great trouble
00:11:44 --> 00:11:45 and disgrace.
00:11:46 --> 00:11:48 The walls of Jerusalem
00:11:48 --> 00:11:49 is broken down
00:11:49 --> 00:11:50 and its gates
00:11:50 --> 00:11:52 have been burned with fire.
00:11:52 --> 00:11:53 And verse 4
00:11:53 --> 00:11:55 is Nehemiah's response
00:11:55 --> 00:11:56 to this news.
00:11:57 --> 00:11:59 When I heard these things,
00:11:59 --> 00:12:01 I sat down and wept.
00:12:02 --> 00:12:02 For some days,
00:12:03 --> 00:12:03 I mourned
00:12:03 --> 00:12:04 and I fasted
00:12:04 --> 00:12:05 and I prayed
00:12:05 --> 00:12:07 before the God of heaven.
00:12:09 --> 00:12:11 He sits down
00:12:11 --> 00:12:13 and he weeps
00:12:13 --> 00:12:14 and he mourns
00:12:14 --> 00:12:16 and he fasts
00:12:16 --> 00:12:17 and he prays
00:12:17 --> 00:12:18 for the city.
00:12:19 --> 00:12:20 Verse 4 indicates
00:12:20 --> 00:12:22 that Nehemiah's grief
00:12:22 --> 00:12:22 and distress
00:12:22 --> 00:12:24 continued for some months.
00:12:25 --> 00:12:26 Most likely,
00:12:26 --> 00:12:28 he stayed in that position
00:12:28 --> 00:12:29 or in that state
00:12:29 --> 00:12:30 for at least
00:12:30 --> 00:12:32 four months.
00:12:35 --> 00:12:36 But his concern
00:12:36 --> 00:12:38 is more than a ruined city.
00:12:38 --> 00:12:40 It is what this ruined city
00:12:40 --> 00:12:41 represents.
00:12:42 --> 00:12:43 Jerusalem was to be
00:12:43 --> 00:12:44 the center,
00:12:44 --> 00:12:45 the light,
00:12:46 --> 00:12:47 the hope for the nations
00:12:47 --> 00:12:48 as God dwelt
00:12:48 --> 00:12:51 amongst his much loved people.
00:12:51 --> 00:12:52 But it is in ruins.
00:12:53 --> 00:12:54 It is a disgrace.
00:12:56 --> 00:12:58 His concern is more
00:12:58 --> 00:12:59 about what it says
00:12:59 --> 00:13:00 about God
00:13:00 --> 00:13:02 and God's people.
00:13:08 --> 00:13:10 The prayer that dominates
00:13:10 --> 00:13:11 chapter 1
00:13:11 --> 00:13:11 reveals that
00:13:11 --> 00:13:13 his deepest sorrow
00:13:13 --> 00:13:15 is over rebellion
00:13:15 --> 00:13:16 and faithlessness
00:13:16 --> 00:13:16 and faithlessness
00:13:16 --> 00:13:18 first and foremost
00:13:18 --> 00:13:20 not over broken walls.
00:13:23 --> 00:13:23 His prayer
00:13:23 --> 00:13:25 first and foremost
00:13:25 --> 00:13:26 looks to the character
00:13:26 --> 00:13:27 of God,
00:13:27 --> 00:13:27 the God that
00:13:27 --> 00:13:29 it would appear
00:13:29 --> 00:13:29 had died.
00:13:30 --> 00:13:31 And he says,
00:13:31 --> 00:13:32 O Lord God of heaven,
00:13:33 --> 00:13:34 the great and awesome God
00:13:34 --> 00:13:36 who keeps his covenant
00:13:36 --> 00:13:37 of love with those
00:13:37 --> 00:13:38 who love him
00:13:38 --> 00:13:39 and obey his commands.
00:13:40 --> 00:13:41 Israel's God
00:13:41 --> 00:13:42 is a great
00:13:42 --> 00:13:43 and awesome God
00:13:43 --> 00:13:45 who is not
00:13:45 --> 00:13:46 to be trifled with.
00:13:46 --> 00:13:48 All the hosts
00:13:48 --> 00:13:49 of the heavenly realm
00:13:49 --> 00:13:51 bow in his presence.
00:13:53 --> 00:13:53 This God
00:13:53 --> 00:13:55 expects to be obeyed.
00:13:57 --> 00:13:58 But he's also
00:13:58 --> 00:13:59 a faithful God
00:13:59 --> 00:14:00 who is committed
00:14:00 --> 00:14:01 to his covenant
00:14:01 --> 00:14:02 of love.
00:14:02 --> 00:14:03 He is a God
00:14:03 --> 00:14:04 who has made us
00:14:04 --> 00:14:04 for himself,
00:14:04 --> 00:14:06 who reveals his kindness
00:14:06 --> 00:14:06 and mercy
00:14:06 --> 00:14:07 and gentleness
00:14:07 --> 00:14:09 to those he loves.
00:14:10 --> 00:14:10 And it is
00:14:10 --> 00:14:11 this knowledge
00:14:11 --> 00:14:12 knowledge
00:14:12 --> 00:14:13 of the character
00:14:13 --> 00:14:14 of God
00:14:14 --> 00:14:15 that leads him
00:14:15 --> 00:14:16 first to confess sin
00:14:16 --> 00:14:17 and secondly
00:14:17 --> 00:14:19 to plead
00:14:19 --> 00:14:20 the promises
00:14:20 --> 00:14:21 of God.
00:14:22 --> 00:14:23 And so in the middle
00:14:23 --> 00:14:23 of verse 6
00:14:23 --> 00:14:25 Nehemiah acknowledges
00:14:25 --> 00:14:25 the failure
00:14:25 --> 00:14:26 of God's people.
00:14:26 --> 00:14:27 He says,
00:14:27 --> 00:14:28 I confess the sins
00:14:28 --> 00:14:29 we Israelites
00:14:29 --> 00:14:31 including myself
00:14:31 --> 00:14:33 and my father's house
00:14:33 --> 00:14:34 have committed
00:14:34 --> 00:14:35 against you.
00:14:36 --> 00:14:37 We have acted
00:14:37 --> 00:14:38 very wickedly
00:14:38 --> 00:14:39 towards you.
00:14:39 --> 00:14:40 We have not
00:14:40 --> 00:14:41 obeyed the commands
00:14:41 --> 00:14:41 decrees
00:14:41 --> 00:14:42 and laws
00:14:42 --> 00:14:43 that you gave
00:14:43 --> 00:14:44 your servant
00:14:44 --> 00:14:44 Moses.
00:14:46 --> 00:14:47 Notice that there is
00:14:47 --> 00:14:48 no us and them
00:14:48 --> 00:14:50 accusation going on
00:14:50 --> 00:14:50 here,
00:14:50 --> 00:14:52 but he is completely
00:14:52 --> 00:14:53 identifying himself
00:14:53 --> 00:14:54 with the failure
00:14:54 --> 00:14:55 of the people
00:14:55 --> 00:14:55 of God.
00:14:56 --> 00:14:57 And this little
00:14:57 --> 00:14:59 prayer of confession
00:14:59 --> 00:15:00 here is not just
00:15:00 --> 00:15:01 some mere polite
00:15:01 --> 00:15:02 concession
00:15:02 --> 00:15:04 because as a culture
00:15:04 --> 00:15:05 or as a church
00:15:05 --> 00:15:06 we might admit
00:15:06 --> 00:15:07 well no one's
00:15:07 --> 00:15:07 really perfect
00:15:07 --> 00:15:08 in the end.
00:15:09 --> 00:15:11 Ezekiel 36
00:15:11 --> 00:15:13 speaks of the time
00:15:13 --> 00:15:14 when God would
00:15:14 --> 00:15:14 bring his people
00:15:14 --> 00:15:15 back from exile
00:15:15 --> 00:15:17 and as part
00:15:17 --> 00:15:18 of that returning
00:15:18 --> 00:15:19 it says
00:15:19 --> 00:15:20 in verse 31
00:15:20 --> 00:15:21 of Ezekiel 36
00:15:21 --> 00:15:23 then you'll remember
00:15:23 --> 00:15:24 your evil ways
00:15:24 --> 00:15:26 and wicked deeds
00:15:26 --> 00:15:27 and you will
00:15:27 --> 00:15:29 loathe yourselves
00:15:29 --> 00:15:31 for your sins
00:15:31 --> 00:15:32 and your detestable
00:15:32 --> 00:15:33 practices.
00:15:33 --> 00:15:35 Be ashamed
00:15:35 --> 00:15:37 and disgraced
00:15:37 --> 00:15:38 for your conduct
00:15:38 --> 00:15:39 O house
00:15:39 --> 00:15:41 of Israel.
00:15:42 --> 00:15:44 And so his prayer
00:15:44 --> 00:15:44 here is not just
00:15:44 --> 00:15:45 some mere
00:15:45 --> 00:15:46 acknowledgement
00:15:46 --> 00:15:46 of oh well no one's
00:15:46 --> 00:15:47 really perfect
00:15:47 --> 00:15:48 in the end.
00:15:50 --> 00:15:51 His contrition
00:15:51 --> 00:15:53 is an intense
00:15:53 --> 00:15:55 loathing
00:15:55 --> 00:15:56 of sin.
00:15:56 --> 00:15:59 and this is the same
00:15:59 --> 00:16:00 contrition
00:16:00 --> 00:16:01 and acknowledgement
00:16:01 --> 00:16:02 and remorse
00:16:02 --> 00:16:03 and loathing
00:16:03 --> 00:16:04 of our sin
00:16:04 --> 00:16:05 that the gospel
00:16:05 --> 00:16:07 requires of us
00:16:07 --> 00:16:08 when we come
00:16:08 --> 00:16:09 to Christ.
00:16:10 --> 00:16:11 Our grasp
00:16:11 --> 00:16:12 of the wonder
00:16:12 --> 00:16:13 of the mercy
00:16:13 --> 00:16:14 of the Lord
00:16:14 --> 00:16:14 Jesus
00:16:14 --> 00:16:16 is directly
00:16:16 --> 00:16:17 proportional
00:16:17 --> 00:16:19 to our grasp
00:16:19 --> 00:16:20 of the desperate
00:16:20 --> 00:16:22 sinful state
00:16:22 --> 00:16:23 that we are in.
00:16:23 --> 00:16:25 superficial
00:16:25 --> 00:16:26 grasp
00:16:26 --> 00:16:26 of sin
00:16:26 --> 00:16:28 leads to
00:16:28 --> 00:16:28 superficial
00:16:28 --> 00:16:29 grasp
00:16:29 --> 00:16:30 of grace.
00:16:31 --> 00:16:32 No mourning
00:16:32 --> 00:16:33 for sin
00:16:33 --> 00:16:34 leads to
00:16:34 --> 00:16:35 no joy
00:16:35 --> 00:16:36 in the gospel.
00:16:38 --> 00:16:39 And if your
00:16:39 --> 00:16:40 psychoanalysis
00:16:40 --> 00:16:41 disagrees
00:16:41 --> 00:16:41 with that
00:16:41 --> 00:16:43 they're wrong.
00:16:44 --> 00:16:45 They're wrong.
00:16:48 --> 00:16:49 Sin
00:16:49 --> 00:16:51 is at the
00:16:51 --> 00:16:51 core of
00:16:51 --> 00:16:52 Nehemiah's
00:16:52 --> 00:16:52 problem
00:16:52 --> 00:16:54 and Israel's
00:16:54 --> 00:16:54 problem
00:16:54 --> 00:16:55 and our
00:16:55 --> 00:16:55 problem.
00:16:56 --> 00:16:57 Every time
00:16:57 --> 00:16:57 we disobey
00:16:57 --> 00:16:58 God
00:16:58 --> 00:16:59 we are seeking
00:16:59 --> 00:16:59 to break
00:16:59 --> 00:17:00 away from
00:17:00 --> 00:17:00 him
00:17:00 --> 00:17:01 and to put
00:17:01 --> 00:17:01 a barrier
00:17:01 --> 00:17:02 in our
00:17:02 --> 00:17:02 fellowship
00:17:02 --> 00:17:03 with him
00:17:03 --> 00:17:04 and that
00:17:04 --> 00:17:05 is why
00:17:05 --> 00:17:05 Jerusalem
00:17:05 --> 00:17:06 is in
00:17:06 --> 00:17:07 ruins.
00:17:10 --> 00:17:10 You see
00:17:10 --> 00:17:11 Nehemiah
00:17:11 --> 00:17:11 could have
00:17:11 --> 00:17:12 prayed in
00:17:12 --> 00:17:13 that moment
00:17:13 --> 00:17:14 for God
00:17:14 --> 00:17:15 to restore
00:17:15 --> 00:17:16 Jerusalem
00:17:16 --> 00:17:16 to its
00:17:16 --> 00:17:17 former glory.
00:17:17 --> 00:17:17 Let's have
00:17:17 --> 00:17:18 a prayer
00:17:18 --> 00:17:18 meeting
00:17:18 --> 00:17:19 get together
00:17:19 --> 00:17:20 let's pray
00:17:20 --> 00:17:20 for those
00:17:20 --> 00:17:21 walls in
00:17:21 --> 00:17:21 Jerusalem.
00:17:22 --> 00:17:25 Artaxerxes
00:17:25 --> 00:17:25 could have
00:17:25 --> 00:17:25 pulled out
00:17:25 --> 00:17:26 his wallet
00:17:26 --> 00:17:27 as he
00:17:27 --> 00:17:27 did
00:17:27 --> 00:17:28 but he
00:17:28 --> 00:17:28 could have
00:17:28 --> 00:17:28 pulled out
00:17:28 --> 00:17:29 a bigger
00:17:29 --> 00:17:29 wallet
00:17:29 --> 00:17:30 pulled out
00:17:30 --> 00:17:30 the treasure
00:17:30 --> 00:17:31 chest
00:17:31 --> 00:17:33 like some
00:17:33 --> 00:17:33 Middle Eastern
00:17:33 --> 00:17:34 prince
00:17:34 --> 00:17:35 with lots
00:17:35 --> 00:17:35 of oil
00:17:35 --> 00:17:37 and built
00:17:37 --> 00:17:38 a spectacular
00:17:38 --> 00:17:39 building in
00:17:39 --> 00:17:39 Jerusalem.
00:17:41 --> 00:17:42 He could have
00:17:42 --> 00:17:42 made the walls
00:17:42 --> 00:17:43 bigger,
00:17:43 --> 00:17:44 wider and
00:17:44 --> 00:17:44 higher and
00:17:44 --> 00:17:44 he could have
00:17:44 --> 00:17:45 made Jerusalem
00:17:45 --> 00:17:46 into a resort
00:17:46 --> 00:17:47 town in the
00:17:47 --> 00:17:48 Middle East
00:17:48 --> 00:17:51 but it would
00:17:51 --> 00:17:51 have meant
00:17:51 --> 00:17:51 nothing.
00:17:53 --> 00:17:53 It would
00:17:53 --> 00:17:54 have looked
00:17:54 --> 00:17:54 good
00:17:54 --> 00:17:58 but it
00:17:58 --> 00:17:58 would have
00:17:58 --> 00:17:58 meant
00:17:58 --> 00:17:58 nothing.
00:18:00 --> 00:18:00 And we
00:18:00 --> 00:18:00 can fix
00:18:00 --> 00:18:01 up our
00:18:01 --> 00:18:01 facilities
00:18:01 --> 00:18:04 but they
00:18:04 --> 00:18:04 will not
00:18:04 --> 00:18:05 lead to
00:18:05 --> 00:18:06 greater
00:18:06 --> 00:18:06 intimacy
00:18:06 --> 00:18:07 with Christ
00:18:07 --> 00:18:10 or joy
00:18:10 --> 00:18:10 as a
00:18:10 --> 00:18:10 Christian
00:18:10 --> 00:18:11 or to
00:18:11 --> 00:18:12 God's
00:18:12 --> 00:18:12 blessing
00:18:12 --> 00:18:13 being poured
00:18:13 --> 00:18:13 out upon
00:18:13 --> 00:18:14 us.
00:18:14 --> 00:18:16 repentance
00:18:16 --> 00:18:17 and brokenness
00:18:17 --> 00:18:18 of heart
00:18:18 --> 00:18:19 before God
00:18:19 --> 00:18:20 is the
00:18:20 --> 00:18:21 only path
00:18:21 --> 00:18:22 to intimacy
00:18:22 --> 00:18:23 and communion
00:18:23 --> 00:18:24 with the
00:18:24 --> 00:18:25 God of
00:18:25 --> 00:18:25 heaven.
00:18:26 --> 00:18:27 Without the
00:18:27 --> 00:18:27 repentance
00:18:27 --> 00:18:29 there will
00:18:29 --> 00:18:29 be no
00:18:29 --> 00:18:30 return
00:18:30 --> 00:18:31 to God.
00:18:32 --> 00:18:32 There will
00:18:32 --> 00:18:33 be no
00:18:33 --> 00:18:33 return to
00:18:33 --> 00:18:34 Jerusalem.
00:18:37 --> 00:18:37 Nehemiah
00:18:37 --> 00:18:38 knew that
00:18:38 --> 00:18:38 the rebuilding
00:18:38 --> 00:18:38 of the
00:18:38 --> 00:18:39 people of
00:18:39 --> 00:18:39 God
00:18:39 --> 00:18:40 into the
00:18:40 --> 00:18:40 people of
00:18:40 --> 00:18:41 repentance
00:18:41 --> 00:18:41 and faith
00:18:41 --> 00:18:42 is where
00:18:42 --> 00:18:43 the real
00:18:43 --> 00:18:43 restoration
00:18:43 --> 00:18:44 work needed
00:18:44 --> 00:18:44 to be
00:18:44 --> 00:18:45 done
00:18:45 --> 00:18:46 and it
00:18:46 --> 00:18:46 started
00:18:46 --> 00:18:47 with him.
00:18:50 --> 00:18:50 The second
00:18:50 --> 00:18:51 part of
00:18:51 --> 00:18:51 Nehemiah's
00:18:51 --> 00:18:52 prayer is an
00:18:52 --> 00:18:52 appeal to
00:18:52 --> 00:18:53 God's
00:18:53 --> 00:18:54 steadfast
00:18:54 --> 00:18:54 love.
00:18:55 --> 00:18:56 It's again
00:18:56 --> 00:18:56 an appeal
00:18:56 --> 00:18:57 to God's
00:18:57 --> 00:18:57 character.
00:18:59 --> 00:18:59 This is
00:18:59 --> 00:19:00 where we
00:19:00 --> 00:19:01 see he
00:19:01 --> 00:19:01 is a
00:19:01 --> 00:19:02 man of
00:19:02 --> 00:19:03 faith
00:19:03 --> 00:19:04 and of
00:19:04 --> 00:19:05 faith in
00:19:05 --> 00:19:05 the promises
00:19:05 --> 00:19:06 of God.
00:19:07 --> 00:19:07 If you
00:19:07 --> 00:19:08 cast your
00:19:08 --> 00:19:08 eye down
00:19:08 --> 00:19:08 to verses
00:19:08 --> 00:19:09 8 to
00:19:09 --> 00:19:09 10,
00:19:10 --> 00:19:10 Nehemiah
00:19:10 --> 00:19:11 quotes the
00:19:11 --> 00:19:12 promises of
00:19:12 --> 00:19:13 God that
00:19:13 --> 00:19:13 God had
00:19:13 --> 00:19:13 made to
00:19:13 --> 00:19:14 Moses in
00:19:14 --> 00:19:15 Deuteronomy.
00:19:15 --> 00:19:16 Deuteronomy
00:19:16 --> 00:19:17 30 describes
00:19:17 --> 00:19:19 exactly the
00:19:19 --> 00:19:20 situation
00:19:20 --> 00:19:20 Nehemiah and
00:19:20 --> 00:19:21 the people of
00:19:21 --> 00:19:21 God are in
00:19:21 --> 00:19:22 right now.
00:19:23 --> 00:19:23 And it
00:19:23 --> 00:19:23 gives a
00:19:23 --> 00:19:24 promise that
00:19:24 --> 00:19:25 Nehemiah
00:19:25 --> 00:19:25 remembers.
00:19:28 --> 00:19:28 And here
00:19:28 --> 00:19:29 it is.
00:19:29 --> 00:19:30 Deuteronomy
00:19:30 --> 00:19:30 chapter 30
00:19:30 --> 00:19:31 verse 2.
00:19:31 --> 00:19:32 When you and
00:19:32 --> 00:19:32 your children
00:19:32 --> 00:19:33 return to the
00:19:33 --> 00:19:33 Lord your
00:19:33 --> 00:19:34 God and
00:19:34 --> 00:19:35 obey him
00:19:35 --> 00:19:35 with all
00:19:35 --> 00:19:35 of your
00:19:35 --> 00:19:36 heart and
00:19:36 --> 00:19:37 with all
00:19:37 --> 00:19:37 of your
00:19:37 --> 00:19:38 soul,
00:19:38 --> 00:19:39 according to
00:19:39 --> 00:19:39 everything that
00:19:39 --> 00:19:40 I've commanded
00:19:40 --> 00:19:41 you today,
00:19:41 --> 00:19:42 then the
00:19:42 --> 00:19:42 Lord your
00:19:42 --> 00:19:43 God will
00:19:43 --> 00:19:44 restore your
00:19:44 --> 00:19:45 fortunes and
00:19:45 --> 00:19:45 have compassion
00:19:45 --> 00:19:47 on you and
00:19:47 --> 00:19:48 gather you from
00:19:48 --> 00:19:49 all the nations
00:19:49 --> 00:19:50 from where you
00:19:50 --> 00:19:51 are scattered.
00:19:53 --> 00:19:53 And Nehemiah
00:19:53 --> 00:19:54 knows that
00:19:54 --> 00:19:55 they're right at
00:19:55 --> 00:19:55 that point of
00:19:55 --> 00:19:56 history that
00:19:56 --> 00:19:57 Deuteronomy 30
00:19:57 --> 00:19:57 is talking about.
00:19:58 --> 00:19:59 And his
00:19:59 --> 00:20:00 prayer to
00:20:00 --> 00:20:02 God is
00:20:02 --> 00:20:03 reminding God
00:20:03 --> 00:20:03 of his
00:20:03 --> 00:20:03 promise.
00:20:06 --> 00:20:07 He has
00:20:07 --> 00:20:08 faith that
00:20:08 --> 00:20:09 when God
00:20:09 --> 00:20:10 promises
00:20:10 --> 00:20:10 something,
00:20:11 --> 00:20:11 he will
00:20:11 --> 00:20:11 do it.
00:20:11 --> 00:20:12 That's
00:20:12 --> 00:20:12 his
00:20:12 --> 00:20:12 confidence.
00:20:14 --> 00:20:14 It is
00:20:14 --> 00:20:15 this
00:20:15 --> 00:20:15 knowledge
00:20:15 --> 00:20:15 and
00:20:15 --> 00:20:16 confidence
00:20:16 --> 00:20:17 that God
00:20:17 --> 00:20:18 is awesome
00:20:18 --> 00:20:18 and powerful
00:20:18 --> 00:20:19 and faithful
00:20:19 --> 00:20:19 to his
00:20:19 --> 00:20:21 promises that
00:20:21 --> 00:20:22 sees
00:20:22 --> 00:20:23 Nehemiah
00:20:23 --> 00:20:24 make
00:20:24 --> 00:20:25 faithful,
00:20:26 --> 00:20:27 wise,
00:20:27 --> 00:20:28 gutsy
00:20:28 --> 00:20:29 decisions for
00:20:29 --> 00:20:29 the glory
00:20:29 --> 00:20:29 of God.
00:20:31 --> 00:20:31 His
00:20:31 --> 00:20:32 confidence is
00:20:32 --> 00:20:33 not in
00:20:33 --> 00:20:34 himself as
00:20:34 --> 00:20:34 the cup
00:20:34 --> 00:20:35 bearer to
00:20:35 --> 00:20:35 the king.
00:20:35 --> 00:20:37 his
00:20:37 --> 00:20:38 confidence is
00:20:38 --> 00:20:38 not even
00:20:38 --> 00:20:39 in King
00:20:39 --> 00:20:39 Artaxerxes,
00:20:40 --> 00:20:40 the most
00:20:40 --> 00:20:41 powerful man
00:20:41 --> 00:20:41 in the
00:20:41 --> 00:20:42 planet.
00:20:44 --> 00:20:44 Look at
00:20:44 --> 00:20:45 the end of
00:20:45 --> 00:20:45 chapter 1
00:20:45 --> 00:20:46 and how he
00:20:46 --> 00:20:47 expresses this
00:20:47 --> 00:20:47 relationship.
00:20:48 --> 00:20:49 Give your
00:20:49 --> 00:20:50 servant success
00:20:50 --> 00:20:51 today by
00:20:51 --> 00:20:52 granting him
00:20:52 --> 00:20:53 favour in
00:20:53 --> 00:20:53 the presence
00:20:53 --> 00:20:54 of this
00:20:54 --> 00:20:55 man.
00:20:55 --> 00:20:56 I was
00:20:56 --> 00:20:57 cup bearer
00:20:57 --> 00:20:57 to the
00:20:57 --> 00:20:57 king.
00:20:59 --> 00:20:59 He might
00:20:59 --> 00:21:00 have had
00:21:00 --> 00:21:01 unprecedented
00:21:01 --> 00:21:02 influence in
00:21:02 --> 00:21:02 the presence
00:21:02 --> 00:21:03 of the most
00:21:03 --> 00:21:04 powerful man
00:21:04 --> 00:21:05 on the
00:21:05 --> 00:21:05 planet.
00:21:07 --> 00:21:08 But compared
00:21:08 --> 00:21:08 to the
00:21:08 --> 00:21:09 almighty God
00:21:09 --> 00:21:10 of Israel,
00:21:10 --> 00:21:11 he is
00:21:11 --> 00:21:12 nothing more
00:21:12 --> 00:21:12 than a
00:21:12 --> 00:21:12 drinks boy
00:21:12 --> 00:21:13 for the
00:21:13 --> 00:21:13 king.
00:21:15 --> 00:21:15 And
00:21:15 --> 00:21:16 compared to
00:21:16 --> 00:21:16 the mighty
00:21:16 --> 00:21:17 God,
00:21:20 --> 00:21:21 Artaxerxes,
00:21:21 --> 00:21:22 the most
00:21:22 --> 00:21:23 powerful man
00:21:23 --> 00:21:23 on the
00:21:23 --> 00:21:24 planet,
00:21:24 --> 00:21:25 is simply
00:21:25 --> 00:21:26 this man.
00:21:28 --> 00:21:28 Nothing
00:21:28 --> 00:21:28 more.
00:21:31 --> 00:21:32 Nehemiah's
00:21:32 --> 00:21:33 confidence is
00:21:33 --> 00:21:34 in his
00:21:34 --> 00:21:34 God.
00:21:35 --> 00:21:36 You see it
00:21:36 --> 00:21:36 again in
00:21:36 --> 00:21:37 chapter 2
00:21:37 --> 00:21:37 verse 4,
00:21:37 --> 00:21:38 when the
00:21:38 --> 00:21:39 king actually
00:21:39 --> 00:21:40 asked Nehemiah
00:21:40 --> 00:21:40 what he
00:21:40 --> 00:21:41 wants,
00:21:41 --> 00:21:41 what did
00:21:41 --> 00:21:42 Nehemiah
00:21:42 --> 00:21:42 do in
00:21:42 --> 00:21:43 that moment?
00:21:46 --> 00:21:46 He
00:21:46 --> 00:21:47 prayed.
00:21:48 --> 00:21:49 He'd been
00:21:49 --> 00:21:49 doing it for
00:21:49 --> 00:21:50 months, but
00:21:50 --> 00:21:50 in that
00:21:50 --> 00:21:52 moment, he
00:21:52 --> 00:21:52 says, then I
00:21:52 --> 00:21:53 prayed to the
00:21:53 --> 00:21:53 God of
00:21:53 --> 00:21:53 heaven.
00:21:55 --> 00:21:55 And when
00:21:55 --> 00:21:56 the king
00:21:56 --> 00:21:56 grants him
00:21:56 --> 00:21:57 his request
00:21:57 --> 00:21:58 at the end
00:21:58 --> 00:21:58 of chapter 2
00:21:58 --> 00:21:59 verse 8,
00:22:00 --> 00:22:01 we see his
00:22:01 --> 00:22:01 faith and
00:22:01 --> 00:22:02 confidence within
00:22:02 --> 00:22:02 God.
00:22:02 --> 00:22:02 He says,
00:22:02 --> 00:22:04 because the
00:22:04 --> 00:22:04 gracious hand
00:22:04 --> 00:22:05 of God
00:22:05 --> 00:22:06 was upon
00:22:06 --> 00:22:07 me, the
00:22:07 --> 00:22:08 king granted
00:22:08 --> 00:22:09 my requests.
00:22:10 --> 00:22:11 And when
00:22:11 --> 00:22:12 he finally
00:22:12 --> 00:22:13 tells the
00:22:13 --> 00:22:13 leaders in
00:22:13 --> 00:22:14 Jerusalem,
00:22:14 --> 00:22:15 after a
00:22:15 --> 00:22:15 little trip
00:22:15 --> 00:22:15 around the
00:22:15 --> 00:22:16 wall in
00:22:16 --> 00:22:17 verse 18
00:22:17 --> 00:22:18 of chapter 2,
00:22:18 --> 00:22:19 that it was
00:22:19 --> 00:22:19 time to
00:22:19 --> 00:22:20 rebuild these
00:22:20 --> 00:22:21 walls, he
00:22:21 --> 00:22:22 reveals that
00:22:22 --> 00:22:23 his first
00:22:23 --> 00:22:24 confidence is
00:22:24 --> 00:22:26 in God and
00:22:26 --> 00:22:27 not the
00:22:27 --> 00:22:28 official letter
00:22:28 --> 00:22:28 which is in
00:22:28 --> 00:22:29 his pocket
00:22:29 --> 00:22:29 from the
00:22:29 --> 00:22:30 most powerful
00:22:30 --> 00:22:30 man in
00:22:30 --> 00:22:31 the world.
00:22:33 --> 00:22:33 He had
00:22:33 --> 00:22:34 the same
00:22:34 --> 00:22:35 letter in
00:22:35 --> 00:22:35 his pocket
00:22:35 --> 00:22:36 when the
00:22:36 --> 00:22:37 three stooges,
00:22:37 --> 00:22:38 Sambalat,
00:22:38 --> 00:22:39 Tobiah and
00:22:39 --> 00:22:40 Jeshim, mocked
00:22:40 --> 00:22:41 them and
00:22:41 --> 00:22:42 accused them of
00:22:42 --> 00:22:42 rebelling a
00:22:42 --> 00:22:43 king against
00:22:43 --> 00:22:44 King Artaxerxes.
00:22:44 --> 00:22:45 All he
00:22:45 --> 00:22:46 needed to do
00:22:46 --> 00:22:46 was whip out
00:22:46 --> 00:22:47 the letter and
00:22:47 --> 00:22:47 say, hang on
00:22:47 --> 00:22:48 a bit, his
00:22:48 --> 00:22:49 name's at the
00:22:49 --> 00:22:49 bottom of this
00:22:49 --> 00:22:50 letter saying
00:22:50 --> 00:22:51 we're on his
00:22:51 --> 00:22:51 business.
00:22:54 --> 00:22:54 But in
00:22:54 --> 00:22:55 chapter 2
00:22:55 --> 00:22:55 verse 20, he
00:22:55 --> 00:22:56 says the God
00:22:56 --> 00:22:56 of heaven will
00:22:56 --> 00:22:57 give us
00:22:57 --> 00:22:57 success.
00:23:00 --> 00:23:01 His confidence
00:23:01 --> 00:23:02 is that when
00:23:02 --> 00:23:03 God says he
00:23:03 --> 00:23:03 will do
00:23:03 --> 00:23:04 something as
00:23:04 --> 00:23:05 he did in
00:23:05 --> 00:23:05 Deuteronomy
00:23:05 --> 00:23:06 chapter 30,
00:23:07 --> 00:23:08 then he will
00:23:08 --> 00:23:09 never abandon
00:23:09 --> 00:23:10 his promises.
00:23:11 --> 00:23:11 God is
00:23:11 --> 00:23:12 faithful to
00:23:12 --> 00:23:12 his covenant
00:23:12 --> 00:23:14 commitment to
00:23:14 --> 00:23:14 love his
00:23:14 --> 00:23:15 people.
00:23:17 --> 00:23:18 I can see
00:23:18 --> 00:23:20 that Nehemiah
00:23:20 --> 00:23:20 was a man of
00:23:20 --> 00:23:21 faith in the
00:23:21 --> 00:23:22 promises of
00:23:22 --> 00:23:22 God.
00:23:23 --> 00:23:24 I cannot see
00:23:24 --> 00:23:26 anywhere in
00:23:26 --> 00:23:27 this book
00:23:27 --> 00:23:28 where he got a
00:23:28 --> 00:23:30 specific word
00:23:30 --> 00:23:30 from God
00:23:30 --> 00:23:32 to get up
00:23:32 --> 00:23:33 and to go
00:23:33 --> 00:23:33 and rebuild
00:23:33 --> 00:23:34 those walls
00:23:34 --> 00:23:34 in Jerusalem.
00:23:36 --> 00:23:37 He was
00:23:37 --> 00:23:38 simply,
00:23:38 --> 00:23:39 faithfully
00:23:39 --> 00:23:40 acting on
00:23:40 --> 00:23:40 what God
00:23:40 --> 00:23:41 had promised
00:23:41 --> 00:23:42 in his
00:23:42 --> 00:23:42 word
00:23:42 --> 00:23:43 centuries
00:23:43 --> 00:23:44 before.
00:23:47 --> 00:23:48 And that
00:23:48 --> 00:23:48 is how the
00:23:48 --> 00:23:49 walls of
00:23:49 --> 00:23:49 Jerusalem got
00:23:49 --> 00:23:50 built.
00:23:51 --> 00:23:51 And that
00:23:51 --> 00:23:52 is how God
00:23:52 --> 00:23:52 builds his
00:23:52 --> 00:23:52 people.
00:23:54 --> 00:23:55 By acting
00:23:55 --> 00:23:56 upon the
00:23:56 --> 00:23:57 promises of
00:23:57 --> 00:23:57 God.
00:23:58 --> 00:23:59 in his
00:23:59 --> 00:23:59 word.
00:24:02 --> 00:24:03 2 Corinthians
00:24:03 --> 00:24:04 1 says
00:24:04 --> 00:24:05 that no
00:24:05 --> 00:24:05 matter how
00:24:05 --> 00:24:06 many promises
00:24:06 --> 00:24:06 of God
00:24:06 --> 00:24:07 there are,
00:24:08 --> 00:24:09 they are
00:24:09 --> 00:24:10 all yes
00:24:10 --> 00:24:11 in the
00:24:11 --> 00:24:11 Lord Jesus.
00:24:12 --> 00:24:13 They're all
00:24:13 --> 00:24:13 fulfilled and
00:24:13 --> 00:24:14 completed in
00:24:14 --> 00:24:14 the Lord
00:24:14 --> 00:24:15 Jesus.
00:24:16 --> 00:24:17 In Jesus,
00:24:17 --> 00:24:18 we are
00:24:18 --> 00:24:19 under a
00:24:19 --> 00:24:19 new covenant
00:24:19 --> 00:24:21 and God's
00:24:21 --> 00:24:22 purposes no
00:24:22 --> 00:24:22 longer center
00:24:22 --> 00:24:23 around the
00:24:23 --> 00:24:24 physical city
00:24:24 --> 00:24:25 of Jerusalem
00:24:25 --> 00:24:26 and the
00:24:26 --> 00:24:26 nation of
00:24:26 --> 00:24:27 Israel.
00:24:27 --> 00:24:28 to get
00:24:28 --> 00:24:28 to the
00:24:28 --> 00:24:29 presence of
00:24:29 --> 00:24:29 God,
00:24:29 --> 00:24:30 we don't
00:24:30 --> 00:24:30 need to
00:24:30 --> 00:24:31 make a
00:24:31 --> 00:24:31 pilgrimage
00:24:31 --> 00:24:33 to a
00:24:33 --> 00:24:34 temple in
00:24:34 --> 00:24:34 Jerusalem
00:24:34 --> 00:24:35 somewhere.
00:24:36 --> 00:24:36 In fact,
00:24:36 --> 00:24:37 Jesus said
00:24:37 --> 00:24:37 of that
00:24:37 --> 00:24:38 temple in
00:24:38 --> 00:24:38 Jerusalem,
00:24:39 --> 00:24:39 tear it
00:24:39 --> 00:24:40 down and
00:24:40 --> 00:24:41 in three
00:24:41 --> 00:24:41 days I'm
00:24:41 --> 00:24:41 going to
00:24:41 --> 00:24:42 rebuild it.
00:24:44 --> 00:24:45 Through
00:24:45 --> 00:24:45 his death
00:24:45 --> 00:24:46 and resurrection,
00:24:47 --> 00:24:47 we now have
00:24:47 --> 00:24:48 direct access
00:24:48 --> 00:24:49 to God
00:24:49 --> 00:24:50 through the
00:24:50 --> 00:24:51 Lord Jesus
00:24:51 --> 00:24:52 by the
00:24:52 --> 00:24:52 Spirit.
00:24:53 --> 00:24:54 He promises
00:24:54 --> 00:24:56 us the
00:24:56 --> 00:24:57 right standing
00:24:57 --> 00:24:59 before God
00:24:59 --> 00:24:59 and the
00:24:59 --> 00:25:00 intimacy
00:25:00 --> 00:25:01 before God
00:25:01 --> 00:25:02 that Nehemiah
00:25:02 --> 00:25:03 actually longed
00:25:03 --> 00:25:03 for here.
00:25:05 --> 00:25:06 Hear the
00:25:06 --> 00:25:06 promise of
00:25:06 --> 00:25:07 God in the
00:25:07 --> 00:25:07 Bible from
00:25:07 --> 00:25:08 1 John
00:25:08 --> 00:25:09 1 9.
00:25:10 --> 00:25:10 And when
00:25:10 --> 00:25:11 Jesus says
00:25:11 --> 00:25:12 it, when
00:25:12 --> 00:25:12 the Bible
00:25:12 --> 00:25:13 says it,
00:25:13 --> 00:25:13 when God
00:25:13 --> 00:25:14 says it,
00:25:14 --> 00:25:15 it's true
00:25:15 --> 00:25:17 and he'll
00:25:17 --> 00:25:18 fulfill it.
00:25:18 --> 00:25:19 And he
00:25:19 --> 00:25:19 says if we
00:25:19 --> 00:25:20 confess our
00:25:20 --> 00:25:22 sins, he,
00:25:22 --> 00:25:23 Jesus, is
00:25:23 --> 00:25:24 faithful and
00:25:24 --> 00:25:25 just and he
00:25:25 --> 00:25:26 will forgive us
00:25:26 --> 00:25:28 our sins and
00:25:28 --> 00:25:29 purify us
00:25:29 --> 00:25:31 from all
00:25:31 --> 00:25:33 unrighteousness.
00:25:34 --> 00:25:35 That's a
00:25:35 --> 00:25:35 promise.
00:25:38 --> 00:25:39 What Nehemiah
00:25:39 --> 00:25:40 longed for,
00:25:41 --> 00:25:42 we get in
00:25:42 --> 00:25:42 Jesus.
00:25:43 --> 00:25:44 He promises
00:25:44 --> 00:25:45 to forgive us
00:25:45 --> 00:25:46 and make us
00:25:46 --> 00:25:46 right before
00:25:46 --> 00:25:47 God.
00:25:47 --> 00:25:48 And what's
00:25:48 --> 00:25:49 more, Jesus
00:25:49 --> 00:25:49 doesn't promise
00:25:49 --> 00:25:50 those who
00:25:50 --> 00:25:51 confess their
00:25:51 --> 00:25:51 sin and
00:25:51 --> 00:25:52 trust him a
00:25:52 --> 00:25:53 land carved
00:25:53 --> 00:25:53 out in
00:25:53 --> 00:25:54 Palestine
00:25:54 --> 00:25:55 somewhere.
00:25:56 --> 00:25:56 Jesus
00:25:56 --> 00:25:57 promises us
00:25:57 --> 00:25:58 a new and
00:25:58 --> 00:25:59 perfect and
00:25:59 --> 00:25:59 eternal heavenly
00:25:59 --> 00:26:00 home where
00:26:00 --> 00:26:01 there will be
00:26:01 --> 00:26:03 no need for
00:26:03 --> 00:26:03 walls and
00:26:03 --> 00:26:05 gates because
00:26:05 --> 00:26:06 there will
00:26:06 --> 00:26:07 never be a
00:26:07 --> 00:26:09 threat that
00:26:09 --> 00:26:10 can challenge
00:26:10 --> 00:26:10 what he is
00:26:10 --> 00:26:11 eternally built
00:26:11 --> 00:26:11 for his
00:26:11 --> 00:26:12 people.
00:26:14 --> 00:26:15 And until
00:26:15 --> 00:26:16 that great and
00:26:16 --> 00:26:17 final day
00:26:17 --> 00:26:18 when we see
00:26:18 --> 00:26:19 him face
00:26:19 --> 00:26:19 to face,
00:26:20 --> 00:26:21 God promises
00:26:21 --> 00:26:22 to give his
00:26:22 --> 00:26:23 people a
00:26:23 --> 00:26:24 foretaste of
00:26:24 --> 00:26:25 our great
00:26:25 --> 00:26:28 future in
00:26:28 --> 00:26:28 the Lord
00:26:28 --> 00:26:29 Jesus that
00:26:29 --> 00:26:30 he has built
00:26:30 --> 00:26:30 for us for
00:26:30 --> 00:26:30 all of
00:26:30 --> 00:26:33 eternity by
00:26:33 --> 00:26:34 building together
00:26:34 --> 00:26:35 up and out
00:26:35 --> 00:26:36 his people,
00:26:36 --> 00:26:37 the church,
00:26:37 --> 00:26:38 on the person
00:26:38 --> 00:26:39 of the Lord
00:26:39 --> 00:26:40 Jesus Christ
00:26:40 --> 00:26:41 and his
00:26:41 --> 00:26:41 gospel.
00:26:42 --> 00:26:43 That is
00:26:43 --> 00:26:46 Jesus' promise
00:26:46 --> 00:26:47 to us in
00:26:47 --> 00:26:48 Matthew 16
00:26:48 --> 00:26:50 in response
00:26:50 --> 00:26:51 to Simon
00:26:51 --> 00:26:51 Peter's
00:26:51 --> 00:26:52 declaration
00:26:52 --> 00:26:53 that Jesus
00:26:53 --> 00:26:53 was the
00:26:53 --> 00:26:54 Christ,
00:26:54 --> 00:26:55 the son of
00:26:55 --> 00:26:55 the living
00:26:55 --> 00:26:55 God.
00:26:56 --> 00:26:57 He says,
00:26:57 --> 00:26:57 blessed are
00:26:57 --> 00:26:58 you,
00:26:58 --> 00:26:59 Simon son
00:26:59 --> 00:26:59 of Jonah,
00:26:59 --> 00:27:00 for this
00:27:00 --> 00:27:00 was not
00:27:00 --> 00:27:01 revealed to
00:27:01 --> 00:27:01 you by
00:27:01 --> 00:27:02 man,
00:27:02 --> 00:27:03 but my
00:27:03 --> 00:27:04 father in
00:27:04 --> 00:27:04 heaven,
00:27:04 --> 00:27:05 and on
00:27:05 --> 00:27:05 this rock
00:27:05 --> 00:27:06 I will
00:27:06 --> 00:27:06 build my
00:27:06 --> 00:27:07 church,
00:27:07 --> 00:27:08 and the
00:27:08 --> 00:27:08 gates of
00:27:08 --> 00:27:09 Hades
00:27:09 --> 00:27:09 will not
00:27:09 --> 00:27:10 overcome
00:27:10 --> 00:27:10 it.
00:27:11 --> 00:27:12 Jesus
00:27:12 --> 00:27:12 promises
00:27:12 --> 00:27:14 in person
00:27:14 --> 00:27:16 to build
00:27:16 --> 00:27:17 his church,
00:27:18 --> 00:27:18 and it
00:27:18 --> 00:27:19 will triumph
00:27:19 --> 00:27:21 over all
00:27:21 --> 00:27:21 forms of
00:27:21 --> 00:27:22 evil,
00:27:23 --> 00:27:24 and death,
00:27:24 --> 00:27:26 and wickedness,
00:27:26 --> 00:27:28 and governments,
00:27:29 --> 00:27:30 and the
00:27:30 --> 00:27:30 media,
00:27:31 --> 00:27:32 and everything
00:27:32 --> 00:27:32 that will
00:27:32 --> 00:27:32 want to
00:27:32 --> 00:27:33 prevail against
00:27:33 --> 00:27:34 the church,
00:27:35 --> 00:27:38 cannot stop
00:27:38 --> 00:27:38 the building
00:27:38 --> 00:27:39 of God's
00:27:39 --> 00:27:39 people.
00:27:41 --> 00:27:42 That's the
00:27:42 --> 00:27:42 promise of
00:27:42 --> 00:27:42 God.
00:27:45 --> 00:27:46 He will
00:27:46 --> 00:27:47 build his
00:27:47 --> 00:27:48 church as
00:27:48 --> 00:27:48 the truth
00:27:48 --> 00:27:49 about him,
00:27:51 --> 00:27:52 as ridiculed
00:27:52 --> 00:27:53 and mocked
00:27:53 --> 00:27:54 it is,
00:27:56 --> 00:27:57 is declared
00:27:57 --> 00:27:58 and received
00:27:58 --> 00:27:58 as people
00:27:58 --> 00:27:59 respond to
00:27:59 --> 00:28:00 Jesus in
00:28:00 --> 00:28:00 repentance
00:28:00 --> 00:28:01 and faith.
00:28:03 --> 00:28:04 That's what
00:28:04 --> 00:28:04 happened to
00:28:04 --> 00:28:05 me 20
00:28:05 --> 00:28:05 years ago.
00:28:08 --> 00:28:09 He promised
00:28:09 --> 00:28:09 not just to
00:28:09 --> 00:28:10 leave us on
00:28:10 --> 00:28:11 our own
00:28:11 --> 00:28:11 sinful ways
00:28:11 --> 00:28:12 as well,
00:28:12 --> 00:28:13 but to
00:28:13 --> 00:28:14 increasingly
00:28:14 --> 00:28:15 transform us
00:28:15 --> 00:28:15 into his
00:28:15 --> 00:28:16 likeness as
00:28:16 --> 00:28:17 his spirit
00:28:17 --> 00:28:18 works through
00:28:18 --> 00:28:18 his word
00:28:18 --> 00:28:19 to bring
00:28:19 --> 00:28:20 about
00:28:20 --> 00:28:20 obedience.
00:28:20 --> 00:28:20 obedience.
00:28:22 --> 00:28:23 So my
00:28:23 --> 00:28:23 brothers and
00:28:23 --> 00:28:24 sisters,
00:28:25 --> 00:28:26 love the
00:28:26 --> 00:28:26 Lord Jesus
00:28:26 --> 00:28:28 and love
00:28:28 --> 00:28:29 his church
00:28:29 --> 00:28:31 by giving
00:28:31 --> 00:28:32 yourself to
00:28:32 --> 00:28:32 the building
00:28:32 --> 00:28:33 up of his
00:28:33 --> 00:28:34 people here
00:28:34 --> 00:28:35 at St.
00:28:35 --> 00:28:36 Paul's.
00:28:38 --> 00:28:40 Know this,
00:28:41 --> 00:28:41 we will
00:28:41 --> 00:28:43 always be
00:28:43 --> 00:28:43 flawed and
00:28:43 --> 00:28:44 imperfect.
00:28:44 --> 00:28:44 perfect.
00:28:46 --> 00:28:47 We will
00:28:47 --> 00:28:47 never meet
00:28:47 --> 00:28:49 all the
00:28:49 --> 00:28:50 expectations.
00:28:50 --> 00:28:51 We will
00:28:51 --> 00:28:52 always fall
00:28:52 --> 00:28:52 short of
00:28:52 --> 00:28:53 expectations.
00:28:54 --> 00:28:54 I will
00:28:54 --> 00:28:55 always fall
00:28:55 --> 00:28:55 short of
00:28:55 --> 00:28:55 your
00:28:55 --> 00:28:56 expectations.
00:28:57 --> 00:28:58 But that
00:28:58 --> 00:28:59 should drive
00:28:59 --> 00:28:59 us to the
00:28:59 --> 00:29:00 Lord Jesus
00:29:00 --> 00:29:00 in confession
00:29:00 --> 00:29:02 and to give
00:29:02 --> 00:29:02 us hope for
00:29:02 --> 00:29:03 the future
00:29:03 --> 00:29:04 day when
00:29:04 --> 00:29:05 he calls
00:29:05 --> 00:29:05 us to our
00:29:05 --> 00:29:06 perfect home
00:29:06 --> 00:29:07 with all
00:29:07 --> 00:29:07 of his
00:29:07 --> 00:29:09 church from
00:29:09 --> 00:29:10 every tribe
00:29:10 --> 00:29:11 and nation
00:29:11 --> 00:29:12 and language
00:29:12 --> 00:29:12 and generation.
00:29:15 --> 00:29:16 We should
00:29:16 --> 00:29:16 be looking
00:29:16 --> 00:29:17 forward to
00:29:17 --> 00:29:17 that perfect
00:29:17 --> 00:29:20 day and
00:29:20 --> 00:29:20 the decisions
00:29:20 --> 00:29:21 we make
00:29:21 --> 00:29:22 driving us
00:29:22 --> 00:29:23 towards that
00:29:23 --> 00:29:23 perfect day.
00:29:27 --> 00:29:27 And so
00:29:27 --> 00:29:28 today,
00:29:28 --> 00:29:30 I want us
00:29:30 --> 00:29:31 to vote yes
00:29:31 --> 00:29:32 to proceeding
00:29:32 --> 00:29:32 with the
00:29:32 --> 00:29:33 redevelopment
00:29:33 --> 00:29:33 of our
00:29:33 --> 00:29:33 facilities.
00:29:36 --> 00:29:37 But more
00:29:37 --> 00:29:38 than anything,
00:29:39 --> 00:29:40 I want us
00:29:40 --> 00:29:41 to say yes
00:29:41 --> 00:29:42 to allow God
00:29:42 --> 00:29:43 to do a
00:29:43 --> 00:29:43 radical
00:29:43 --> 00:29:44 rebuilding
00:29:44 --> 00:29:45 of our
00:29:45 --> 00:29:45 individual
00:29:45 --> 00:29:47 and corporate
00:29:47 --> 00:29:48 life as
00:29:48 --> 00:29:49 his people.
00:29:51 --> 00:29:51 Where
00:29:51 --> 00:29:52 repentance
00:29:52 --> 00:29:53 and faith
00:29:53 --> 00:29:55 become the
00:29:55 --> 00:29:56 norm.
00:29:59 --> 00:30:00 May his
00:30:00 --> 00:30:00 vision for
00:30:00 --> 00:30:01 his church
00:30:01 --> 00:30:03 be the
00:30:03 --> 00:30:03 driving
00:30:03 --> 00:30:04 influence
00:30:04 --> 00:30:05 in our
00:30:05 --> 00:30:06 vision for
00:30:06 --> 00:30:06 his church
00:30:06 --> 00:30:08 and our
00:30:08 --> 00:30:08 love for
00:30:08 --> 00:30:09 his church.
00:30:10 --> 00:30:11 Amen.