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Well, good morning again.

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If you have your Bibles, we'll be in EMI chapter four this morning.

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If you haven't been with us the last few weeks, I want to catch you up just a little bit about

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where we've been and what we've covered and kind of what's going on here in Nehemiah.

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Nehemiah is in the Old Testament and he's a guy, he's a reformer who God raises up to help go restore

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and help fix what's been broken for God's people.

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And we see in that moment of brokenness, God bursts out of Nehemiah this holy discontent.

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And you have a holy discontent when you recognize that there is something that's not right.

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There's something that's broken. This should not be.

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And it's in those moments in time where this holy discontent just bursts out of us and God does with that with Nehemiah.

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He breaks his heart for the city and for his people.

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And the first thing we see just to summarize real quick in Nehemiah chapter one is the prayer of Nehemiah.

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And the proper response of someone who is having a holy discontent birth within them.

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The natural response to do when something is bigger than yourself so you can go after that you yourself could never accomplish on your own.

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And that's to fall on your knees before a holy God who can help intercede for us and help us do the work.

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In his prayer we see Nehemiah. He owns the sins of his nation.

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He includes himself in that confession recognizing the reason that the city is in the state that it's in is because of the of the sin of the people and God's judgment.

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He repents openly in this prayer.

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He confesses these things before God asking God to honor his faithfulness to restore what has been broken and to do what only God can do.

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That's what we saw first.

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Then we get to chapter two Nehemiah and we look at the plan of Nehemiah.

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We see what it is that God burdens Nehemiah to do.

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You know this as well as I do.

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Those moments where you're in the midst of prayer and you're praying God would you raise up somebody to fix this problem?

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Would you fix the situation?

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And what does God do?

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Well what about you?

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Right?

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How about how about we use you to fix this thing?

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Sure enough God burdens Nehemiah's heart and he gives Nehemiah a vision.

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Nehemiah moves on and at the end of chapter two when we see Nehemiah arrive on the scene we begin to get a snapshot of the preparation that Nehemiah has.

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How he goes around and inspects the wall.

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He himself sees where it's broken and what it's actually going to take to get this thing back together.

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Then he rallies together the people and convinces them that this thing is worth dying for.

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The rebuilding of this city is worth every ounce of their energy and effort.

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So you see the preparation of Nehemiah.

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Then in chapter three we didn't look at this last week because we didn't have time and we don't have time this week.

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But you'll see in chapter three the list of the names of the people.

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Now if you've ever gone through a Bible reading plan and you get to this in your devotional.

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When we get to Nehemiah in this part of our devotional we kind of skip right over that chapter.

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I mean these are the people of Nehemiah.

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This is a list of 50 names of Jews who came from all over various backgrounds, various trades, various skills.

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And they come together as one to unite in the building of this wall.

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50 names that to you and I are faceless.

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But to God are the faithful.

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They're not insignificant.

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Enough that God would etch their names forever in Nehemiah chapter three in our Bibles forever.

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So far in these three chapters we've looked at the passion and the prayer and the preparation and the people of Nehemiah.

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We've been talking all along how this equates and how this parallels to what we see and experience as the church today.

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At least it should parallel and relate to us as the church today.

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So just track with me a little bit on this.

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Those moments, those moments in your life when you see something that's broken.

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You see something that's not right.

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You see something that needs fixed and you're seized by it.

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And God crushes your heart and gives you a holy discontent.

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Maybe it's in the community and the culture around you.

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Maybe it's with injustices that are all over our planet right now.

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Like poverty or human trafficking or abortion or racial reconciliation or abuse.

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You name it.

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Whatever injustices there are out there, it seizes you.

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It grips your heart in such a way that you go, that's not right.

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It's not right.

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That people can so easily, as Liz said earlier, just request something through the mail to end a life.

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That shouldn't be those things that cause us to lose sleep at night.

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That is holy discontent.

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Now, if Nehemiah ended right there in chapter three or if your holy discontent story ended right there in chapter three,

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we'd be filled with excitement.

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Now, I mean, this is awesome, right?

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Like look at this.

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Look at what God did.

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He broke his heart and put him on his face in prayer and then God answered his prayers with this king and sent him back.

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And all the people riled it around him and they're ready to build.

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If it ended right there, how awesome would that be?

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But unfortunately, you'd be misled and thought that everything is perfect.

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God gives you a burden.

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You go and he'll take care of it perfectly from there.

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You'll go out there and it'll be smooth sailing and there's not going to be any issues.

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You'll be hitting on all cylinders and really nothing could possibly go wrong.

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You know as well as I do that in that moment when we think everything's smooth sailing,

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we run into Nehemiah chapter four or Nehemiah chapter four finds us.

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And so that's where we're going to be today.

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I'm going to invite Noah up here.

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He's going to read our passage this morning from Nehemiah chapter four.

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He's going to read the first six verses.

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I encourage you to stand as we honor the Lord's word together.

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If you're able.

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Oh, you're a little taller.

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Hold on.

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I'm just going to hold it.

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I can't get that up.

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Then Balot heard that we were building the wall.

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He was angry and greatly enraged and he jeered us at the Jews and he said in the presence

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of his brothers and of the army of Samaria, what are these people Jews doing?

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Will they restore it for themselves?

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Will they sacrifice?

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Will they finish it up in a day?

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Will they receive the stones out of the heaps of rubbish and burns when the burned ones

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at that to buy the Ammonite was beside him and he said, yes, what they're building.

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If a fox goes up on it, you'll break down their stone wall here.

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Oh God, for we are despised, turn back their taunt on their own heads and give them up

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to plunder to no end or the air captives.

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Do not cover their guilt and let not their sin be blotted out from her site.

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They're provoked to you to anger in the presence of the builders.

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So we saw the wall and as the in all the wall was joined together to have its height for

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the people at a mine to work.

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Amen.

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Let's pray.

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Father, we're grateful for your word and I pray that as we study how people come against

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your will, I pray, Father, you give us the heart to respond the way Nehemiah does.

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I thank you for Noah.

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Pray you give him a continue to give him a desire to study your word and continue to

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lead in that way.

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We ask all these things in your name.

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Amen.

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Thanks buddy.

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Now I want you to take note so far in our study of Nehemiah and what the Bible study

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methods call the law of proportion.

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And to tell you how serious the this issue of persecution is when it comes to Nehemiah's

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passion, we get one verse on it.

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When it comes to Nehemiah's prayer, we get six verses on it.

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When it comes to Nehemiah's plan, we get eight verses on it.

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When it comes to his preparation, we get 11 verses on it.

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But when it comes to the persecution, we get three whole chapters of it.

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The reality is starting in chapter four all the way through chapter six.

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What we're going to learn is no matter how great your passion for something is, no matter

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how great the burden that the Lord puts on your heart, no matter how deep your prayers

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are that God's going to intercede, no matter how much attention to planning and preparation

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you put into the to make sure that these things go well, no matter how many people you can

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try to rally around you for this holy discontent.

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The reality is one thing you're going to have to prepare your heart for more than anything

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else is that persecution will come.

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Not if it will come, it will come.

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We're going to realize that persecution and suffering are part of the Christian life and

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Christian ministry.

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It will come and we must learn to persevere under it.

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Jesus said in John chapter 16, says, I've told you these things so that that in me you

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may have peace.

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You will have suffering in this world.

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Be courageous.

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I have conquered the world.

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And so there is an enemy lurking around the corner who wants nothing else than to break

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your holy discontent, break your dreams and your passions, crush them, pour cold water

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over them and put out the flame.

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As an individual, what will you do when that happens?

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As a church, what will we do when that happens?

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Let's look at the name I chapter 4 and see if we can learn a thing or two here.

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The first thing that will come that you will almost always face when your holy discontent

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goes public is that of criticism, ridicule and open mockery.

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You'll be made fun of.

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Look at this verse in verse 1.

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And Sambalot heard that they were building the wall.

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He was angry and greatly enraged and he jeered at the Jews.

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So Sambalot is this Persian politician.

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He didn't like that the Jews were coming in and setting up shop back in Jerusalem.

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After they had been ransacked by the Babylonians and then the Persians came in, Sambalot kind

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of took over this territory and started to kind of create this little micro empire under

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there in that region.

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And now he doesn't like the idea that the Jews are coming back and taking what is rightfully

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there.

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So he starts making fun of them.

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And throughout this whole thing, they just keep showing up with this bucket of cold water

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to try and dump on their passions.

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We need to realize that.

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Those people, they never go away.

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They're always going to be there.

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So the first thing we have to learn is when we go public with a holy discontent, the

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Lord has put on your heart.

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They're going to get mocked for it.

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It's coming.

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As we'll notice in verse two, very seldom do these haters operate solo.

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They always have a little crowd around them and they kind of love to gather with them

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and throw their own mock parties at you.

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Let's look at verse two.

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And he said in the presence of his brothers and of the army of Samaria, what are these

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feeble Jews doing?

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Will they restore it for themselves?

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Will they sacrifice?

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Will they finish up in a day?

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Will they revive the stones out of the heaps of rubbish and burn ones of that?

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I want you, when you read this verse, I want you to think of the most God-awful place

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of persecution on earth.

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The places on earth were literally hundreds of thousands of folks are being ridiculed

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and persecuted every single day.

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If you're thinking rightly, you'll think of a junior high school.

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One of the most God-awful places on the face of the earth, I think.

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Because that's where it always, always goes.

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That's the most God-awful place I can think of.

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God bless you students and teachers that work there and show up there every single day.

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I mean you just show up one time wearing the wrong piece of clothing and you will hear

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about it the rest of your life.

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Am I right?

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They will haze you.

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That's what middle schoolers are meant to do.

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Their whole life existence is to make fun of each other.

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I'll never forget when I was in junior high.

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What was hot back then when I was growing up was, maybe still today I don't know, but

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was Ralph Lauren polo shirts.

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Remember those?

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If you were going to fit in, you had to be wearing a Ralph Lauren polo shirt.

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I went to a school that had some spoiled people in it.

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I just wasn't one of them.

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I tried, but my parents weren't having it.

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I so deeply wanted to fit in.

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I'll never forget.

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Instead, what my mom did for me to try to ease the pain was she bought me a Knights of the

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Round Table shirt.

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Do you remember these?

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It looks like the polo logo, but instead of a mallet, the guy was carrying a flag and

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I never heard the end of it.

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I mean junior high man, they're horrible.

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They will just haze you.

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They will not let that go the rest of your life.

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It's just crazy.

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That's what I think about when I think of this scene here in Nehemiah.

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This is your classic junior high school right here.

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And the school bully shows up and just starts making fun of Nehemiah.

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Look at verse two again.

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It says, all of these things, he says these feeble Jews, meaning they're weak.

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You don't have the ability to do this.

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You are over the hill.

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There's no way that you're going to be able to do this.

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You're a bunch of old men, right?

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You can't do this.

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If we go back to chapter three, we saw the list of names, those 50 names.

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And you have to recognize of all these people who were helping, most of them aren't professional

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wall builders.

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Some of them were, but for the mass majority of them were not.

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That list tells you the trades that they had.

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Do you know what one of the most popular trades of this group is?

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Perfumers.

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You have a target on your head for being made fun of because the day before, what were you

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doing?

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You were crushing rose petals and putting them in alabaster jars.

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Then somebody comes along and gives you a trowel and says, okay, hey, let's get after

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this.

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So here come Sambalot and Tobiah just making fun of them.

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You really think you're going to get this done?

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This work is so shoddy that it's going to fall down when a little five pound fox jumps

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on this thing.

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This is ridicule at its finest.

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And here's the deal.

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It's not just empty ridicule.

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This isn't just making fun of them to make fun of them.

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If you notice it says it's fueled with anger.

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This is ridicule that was meant to discourage the people, that they would stop working,

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that they would cease their work, that they would quit and walk away.

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When that happens, you need to know in the same way when you step forward in obedience

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to God for a burden that he has laid on your heart or laid on the church's heart for his

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namesake, for the sake of the gospel.

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And you stand up in that moment.

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They are going to come after you.

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The Sambalots and the Tobias of the world are waiting to mock you.

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They're waiting to discourage you so that you'll quit, so that you won't follow through

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with what God has laid on your heart.

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You know it too.

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Whatever it is, whether it's folks on the outside or folks in your own family, when God burdens

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you for something and then you decide to act on it, the mockery starts coming.

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It can discourage you.

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So what do you do?

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What do you do when you have people like Sambalot and Tobias in your life who just want to jeer

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at you, who want to discourage you?

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First, notice what Nehemiah doesn't do here.

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He doesn't volley back at them.

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He doesn't throw ridicule back in their faces as they probably would deserve.

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He's silent before them.

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He doesn't give them what they gave him.

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Imagine this, by the way.

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If I could write the Bible, this is how I'd write it.

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What if verse 4, right after the mocking, just simply, what if verse 4 just simply said this,

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Nehemiah giving them the finger began to yell back at them with some terrible jokes about

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their mom.

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That's what I would want in there.

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You and I would want that there.

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We would want that verse in there.

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We go, yeah, get them.

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Get them.

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They deserve it.

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But that's not what a man of God does.

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You don't entertain the mocking of others by mocking back.

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It was said of Jesus on the cross that while he was suffering, he uttered no threats.

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But he entrusted himself to the one who judges righteously.

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Nehemiah does the same thing here.

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He drops to his knees and he runs to his God.

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He prays and he asks God for God's divine spanking on these enemies.

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Watch this in verses 4 and 5.

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This is his prayer.

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God, hero God, for we are despised.

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Turn back their taunts on their own heads and give them to be plundered in a land where

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they are captives.

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Do not cover their guilt and let not their sin be blotted out from your sight, for they

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have provoked you to anger in the presence of the builders.

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I mean, that seems harsh, right?

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That seems hard, but this is the essence of his prayer.

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God, this attack isn't on us.

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This attack is on you.

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They are coming after you.

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We don't want you to overlook this.

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We want you to step in because your name is on the line with the rebuilding of this wall.

299
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So will you step in?

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Will you take care of this?

301
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You defend your honor.

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You defend your name on these people's threats towards us.

303
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Notice one thing you do here.

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Notice in verse 6 that people simply chose not to believe the enemy's threats, but instead

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00:19:00,220 --> 00:19:05,140
they chose to believe God and they continued on the work to work on the wall and get to

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00:19:05,140 --> 00:19:06,140
verse 6.

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So we built the wall.

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He prayed and then it says, so we built the wall and all the wall was joined together to

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half its height for the people had a mind to work.

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I mean, that's amazing.

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Despite these threats and these insults and this ridicule, it actually didn't fragment

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or fracture the people, but it united them.

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It united them with one face.

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It says, no, no, no, no, no.

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God called us to this.

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God called us to this.

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So they got to work and they knocked out 50% of the wall just like that in unity.

318
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It's amazing what God's people can accomplish when they're unified for God's call together.

319
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What did they do in response here?

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They persevered.

321
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They kept going.

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They prayed.

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They gave their insults to God and they kept moving forward.

324
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Has God given you a holy discontent?

325
00:20:10,700 --> 00:20:18,820
And I see God burdened you with something that is so great and so ambitious that you

326
00:20:18,820 --> 00:20:22,860
would defend His name's sake.

327
00:20:22,860 --> 00:20:24,060
Maybe that's you.

328
00:20:24,060 --> 00:20:25,460
Maybe that's your home group.

329
00:20:25,460 --> 00:20:27,040
Maybe it's us as a church.

330
00:20:27,040 --> 00:20:28,400
Can I just tell you something?

331
00:20:28,400 --> 00:20:30,820
Don't stop.

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00:20:30,820 --> 00:20:32,320
Don't stop.

333
00:20:32,320 --> 00:20:33,980
Why?

334
00:20:33,980 --> 00:20:38,100
Because you have to be obedient to what God has called you to do.

335
00:20:38,100 --> 00:20:43,420
We have to be obedient to God, not to the sambalots, not to the Tobias of our life.

336
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You don't answer to them.

337
00:20:45,060 --> 00:20:47,380
You answer to God.

338
00:20:47,380 --> 00:20:48,380
Don't stop.

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00:20:48,380 --> 00:20:55,500
When God calls something to be, the only response is obedience despite the persecution

340
00:20:55,500 --> 00:20:57,060
that may come.

341
00:20:57,060 --> 00:21:00,580
What God calls you to, He will resource.

342
00:21:00,580 --> 00:21:03,420
What God requires He will provide.

343
00:21:03,420 --> 00:21:05,220
So you just keep trusting.

344
00:21:05,220 --> 00:21:07,660
You just keep persevering.

345
00:21:07,660 --> 00:21:10,380
Question them.

346
00:21:10,380 --> 00:21:18,060
When you do, when you keep persevering, what do the enemies think of it?

347
00:21:18,060 --> 00:21:19,060
How do they respond?

348
00:21:19,060 --> 00:21:20,300
We'll see in verse 7.

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00:21:20,300 --> 00:21:24,960
But when Sambalot and Tobias and the Arabs and the Ammonites and the Ashtadites heard

350
00:21:24,960 --> 00:21:29,300
that the repairing of the walls of Jerusalem was going forward and that the breaches were

351
00:21:29,300 --> 00:21:32,460
beginning to be closed, they were very angry.

352
00:21:32,460 --> 00:21:34,500
Uh-oh, right?

353
00:21:34,500 --> 00:21:38,740
Now we've taken some people off for sure.

354
00:21:38,740 --> 00:21:39,740
They've taken somebody off.

355
00:21:39,740 --> 00:21:42,580
Incidentally though, notice where these folks are from.

356
00:21:42,580 --> 00:21:46,380
Sambalot is from Persia, so that's up north.

357
00:21:46,380 --> 00:21:47,380
Tobias is an Ammonite.

358
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He's from the east.

359
00:21:48,880 --> 00:21:50,900
The Arabs were from down south.

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00:21:50,900 --> 00:21:52,660
The Ashtadites were Philistines.

361
00:21:52,660 --> 00:21:53,900
They were from the west.

362
00:21:53,900 --> 00:21:57,500
So where is this persecution coming from?

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00:21:57,500 --> 00:21:59,740
It's coming from all around them.

364
00:21:59,740 --> 00:22:03,340
There is nowhere that they can't go that persecution isn't there.

365
00:22:03,340 --> 00:22:04,420
It's all around them.

366
00:22:04,420 --> 00:22:07,140
They're surrounded by mocking enemies.

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00:22:07,140 --> 00:22:11,180
These enemies decide, okay, words weren't good enough.

368
00:22:11,180 --> 00:22:12,300
Words didn't stop them.

369
00:22:12,300 --> 00:22:14,660
The mockery didn't stop them.

370
00:22:14,660 --> 00:22:18,660
So now we're going to have to resort to physical intimidation in verse 8.

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00:22:18,660 --> 00:22:22,900
And they all plotted together to come and fight against Jerusalem and to cause confusion

372
00:22:22,900 --> 00:22:23,900
in it.

373
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Again, we move simply from ridicule to physical attacks that are pending.

374
00:22:29,900 --> 00:22:32,260
So what do you do now?

375
00:22:32,260 --> 00:22:34,460
How do you respond now?

376
00:22:34,460 --> 00:22:42,940
The next verse is going to speak both to the super-righteous pacifist and the lazy conformist.

377
00:22:42,940 --> 00:22:44,860
It's going to speak to both of these worlds.

378
00:22:44,860 --> 00:22:49,940
Verse 9, And we prayed to our God and set a guard as protection against them day and

379
00:22:49,940 --> 00:22:51,940
night.

380
00:22:51,940 --> 00:22:56,660
So in fear of attack, Nehemiah does two things together simultaneously.

381
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He prays and he defends.

382
00:22:59,700 --> 00:23:00,700
He prays and he defends.

383
00:23:00,700 --> 00:23:02,420
He does both.

384
00:23:02,420 --> 00:23:07,860
In one sense, he's not leaning on a shovel and praying for a hole.

385
00:23:07,860 --> 00:23:11,620
In another sense, he's not digging a hole in his own strength without leaning on God.

386
00:23:11,620 --> 00:23:14,380
He does both.

387
00:23:14,380 --> 00:23:16,780
He prays and he defends.

388
00:23:16,780 --> 00:23:22,780
He's both spiritually dependent upon God and practically engaged with the people.

389
00:23:22,780 --> 00:23:29,820
This is a great model for us as believers to stand in the gap against persecution.

390
00:23:29,820 --> 00:23:32,780
Pray and defend.

391
00:23:32,780 --> 00:23:36,580
I'd love to tell you at this point that all these Israelites were coming together to help

392
00:23:36,580 --> 00:23:42,580
rebuild the wall and they were just some spiritually bowed up people like they were standing strong

393
00:23:42,580 --> 00:23:46,900
and no matter what attack comes away, they're not going to compromise, they're not going

394
00:23:46,900 --> 00:23:48,580
to bend at all.

395
00:23:48,580 --> 00:23:55,700
But unfortunately, honestly, thankfully, they're just like us.

396
00:23:55,700 --> 00:23:57,540
They're just like you and me.

397
00:23:57,540 --> 00:24:01,660
These Jews who are working on the wall, they get afraid.

398
00:24:01,660 --> 00:24:03,500
They get discouraged.

399
00:24:03,500 --> 00:24:04,500
They get tired.

400
00:24:04,500 --> 00:24:05,500
They doubt.

401
00:24:05,500 --> 00:24:06,500
They lose their strength.

402
00:24:06,500 --> 00:24:08,540
And look at verses 10 through 11.

403
00:24:08,540 --> 00:24:13,020
In Judah, it was said, the strength of those who bear the burdens is failing.

404
00:24:13,020 --> 00:24:14,580
There's too much trouble.

405
00:24:14,580 --> 00:24:17,860
By ourselves, we will not be able to rebuild the wall.

406
00:24:17,860 --> 00:24:22,620
And our enemy said, they will not know or see till we come among them and kill them and

407
00:24:22,620 --> 00:24:24,540
stop the work.

408
00:24:24,540 --> 00:24:27,340
So doubt sets in.

409
00:24:27,340 --> 00:24:29,740
Discouragement sets in.

410
00:24:29,740 --> 00:24:33,220
They begin saying to themselves, can we really finish this thing?

411
00:24:33,220 --> 00:24:40,740
Truthfully, I'm thankful that this is here because this passage reminds me of me.

412
00:24:40,740 --> 00:24:41,900
It reminds me of me.

413
00:24:41,900 --> 00:24:46,660
It reminds me of my weakest moments of despair.

414
00:24:46,660 --> 00:24:54,660
My temptation to doubt, my temptation to not trust God and to ultimately just want to fold

415
00:24:54,660 --> 00:24:57,660
when persecution sets in.

416
00:24:57,660 --> 00:24:59,820
That's where these people are at.

417
00:24:59,820 --> 00:25:00,820
That's where they are.

418
00:25:00,820 --> 00:25:02,980
They were discouraged by two things.

419
00:25:02,980 --> 00:25:07,380
They were discouraged by the amount of work that was in front of them.

420
00:25:07,380 --> 00:25:13,060
But they were also discouraged by the rumors that were circulating about pending attacks

421
00:25:13,060 --> 00:25:15,380
coming their way.

422
00:25:15,380 --> 00:25:17,300
And it got them scared.

423
00:25:17,300 --> 00:25:19,180
It got them scared that they were going to fail.

424
00:25:19,180 --> 00:25:23,340
It got them scared that they were going to be in harm's way.

425
00:25:23,340 --> 00:25:27,180
And in verse 12, we see some of these rumors and attacks where they were coming from.

426
00:25:27,180 --> 00:25:31,820
Verse 12, at that time, the Jews who lived near them came from all directions and said

427
00:25:31,820 --> 00:25:36,500
to us, 10 times, you must return to us.

428
00:25:36,500 --> 00:25:42,860
So here are some Jews from surrounding suburbs, the surrounding areas.

429
00:25:42,860 --> 00:25:45,980
And these Jews are interesting here.

430
00:25:45,980 --> 00:25:47,580
They're interesting.

431
00:25:47,580 --> 00:25:53,220
Evidently, they weren't taking part in the building of the wall.

432
00:25:53,220 --> 00:25:57,220
They were just sitting back in the suburb communities and they weren't engaged with

433
00:25:57,220 --> 00:25:59,380
what was going on in the city.

434
00:25:59,380 --> 00:26:04,300
And all of a sudden, these folks, these Jews in the suburbs, they become scared because

435
00:26:04,300 --> 00:26:06,740
they hear about these attacking enemies coming.

436
00:26:06,740 --> 00:26:08,540
They hear all these rumors.

437
00:26:08,540 --> 00:26:15,700
So these folks who would not align themselves with the Reformation Project, who would not

438
00:26:15,700 --> 00:26:21,500
grab a trowel and some mortar and get after it and start building, all of a sudden they

439
00:26:21,500 --> 00:26:24,900
come and they don't just come once.

440
00:26:24,900 --> 00:26:29,340
It says they come 10 times and they say to the builders, hey, you need to quit.

441
00:26:29,340 --> 00:26:32,780
You need to stop.

442
00:26:32,780 --> 00:26:35,820
They're getting heated out here.

443
00:26:35,820 --> 00:26:37,620
There's persecution coming.

444
00:26:37,620 --> 00:26:40,060
They have weapons and they're coming against us.

445
00:26:40,060 --> 00:26:41,500
You may just need to come back.

446
00:26:41,500 --> 00:26:43,400
Take a step back.

447
00:26:43,400 --> 00:26:44,600
You need to retreat.

448
00:26:44,600 --> 00:26:47,060
You need to come back and take refuge with us.

449
00:26:47,060 --> 00:26:53,260
And maybe if you do, the enemy will stop and maybe they won't attack us.

450
00:26:53,260 --> 00:26:58,540
Have you ever known folks like that?

451
00:26:58,540 --> 00:27:03,620
Do we have folks like this in our own church?

452
00:27:03,620 --> 00:27:09,700
Maybe you have folks like this in your own family or in your community?

453
00:27:09,700 --> 00:27:13,800
The Lord burst in you this holy discontent.

454
00:27:13,800 --> 00:27:17,300
He lights a fire in you for what He wants you to go after.

455
00:27:17,300 --> 00:27:20,860
And in that moment, the persecution starts.

456
00:27:20,860 --> 00:27:23,860
And it's not just folks from the outside.

457
00:27:23,860 --> 00:27:26,100
It's not just folks from the outside you get the most.

458
00:27:26,100 --> 00:27:28,900
It's the folks from your own camp.

459
00:27:28,900 --> 00:27:30,220
It's your own family.

460
00:27:30,220 --> 00:27:31,420
It's your own friends.

461
00:27:31,420 --> 00:27:39,860
In light of persecution, you need to prepare your heart from attacks from the inside.

462
00:27:39,860 --> 00:27:47,940
It's other believers who will not align themselves with what God has called you to do.

463
00:27:47,940 --> 00:27:49,700
But they're great, right?

464
00:27:49,700 --> 00:27:54,740
They're great at sitting back and vocalizing and verbalizing how displeased they are with

465
00:27:54,740 --> 00:27:56,540
what you are doing.

466
00:27:56,540 --> 00:28:00,740
They just love to play Monday morning quarterback.

467
00:28:00,740 --> 00:28:05,260
They just love to tell you and take shots at you and tell you how everything you're doing

468
00:28:05,260 --> 00:28:07,820
is wrong and how you're wasting your time.

469
00:28:07,820 --> 00:28:08,820
This is foolish.

470
00:28:08,820 --> 00:28:10,540
I can't believe we're spending resources on this.

471
00:28:10,540 --> 00:28:12,620
I can't believe you're spending time on this.

472
00:28:12,620 --> 00:28:16,460
Their ultimate goal is to get you to quit.

473
00:28:16,460 --> 00:28:21,980
I can assure you there are times, honestly, where there are more people from within our

474
00:28:21,980 --> 00:28:27,260
own camp who cause more problems than what God wants to do here than people from the

475
00:28:27,260 --> 00:28:29,380
outside.

476
00:28:29,380 --> 00:28:32,260
That's a discouraging place to be.

477
00:28:32,260 --> 00:28:38,620
Believers who would rather just play it safe than align themselves with the radical call

478
00:28:38,620 --> 00:28:41,980
of Jesus Christ in the world around us.

479
00:28:41,980 --> 00:28:45,700
In addition to our enemies, we have persecution from within.

480
00:28:45,700 --> 00:28:48,460
In verse 13, what does Nehemiah do?

481
00:28:48,460 --> 00:28:49,660
What does Nehemiah do?

482
00:28:49,660 --> 00:28:54,820
What does he do at this point when he has all these people who are trying to tempt him

483
00:28:54,820 --> 00:28:55,820
to quit?

484
00:28:55,820 --> 00:28:57,700
They're trying to tempt them to fold.

485
00:28:57,700 --> 00:29:00,060
What does a Reformation leader do?

486
00:29:00,060 --> 00:29:02,100
Look at verse 13.

487
00:29:02,100 --> 00:29:07,500
So in the lowest parts of the space behind the wall and open places, I station the people

488
00:29:07,500 --> 00:29:12,380
by their clans with their swords, their spears, and their bows.

489
00:29:12,380 --> 00:29:16,540
Nehemiah does not retreat.

490
00:29:16,540 --> 00:29:23,140
He stays put and he diverts some of the builders of the wall to stand in the gaps of the wall

491
00:29:23,140 --> 00:29:26,700
and prepare for battle if need be.

492
00:29:26,700 --> 00:29:32,340
It's a great picture of a persevering leader who does not fold under the pressure of opposition.

493
00:29:32,340 --> 00:29:37,460
Proverbs 24.10 says, if you do nothing in a difficult time, your strength is limited.

494
00:29:37,460 --> 00:29:45,100
Meaning if you do all this training and you have all this passion and you spend all this

495
00:29:45,100 --> 00:29:50,300
time in prayer and you're all prayed up and you've prepared and you've planned and you're

496
00:29:50,300 --> 00:29:56,340
ready to go and then you hit the battlefield and in that moment persecution comes to you

497
00:29:56,340 --> 00:30:00,460
if you fold.

498
00:30:00,460 --> 00:30:07,020
All that preparation and you fold, it's as if it was all worthless.

499
00:30:07,020 --> 00:30:09,580
It's as if you never had the strength to begin with.

500
00:30:09,580 --> 00:30:14,020
It's as if you never trained or prepared to begin with.

501
00:30:14,020 --> 00:30:19,420
I can't ever read this passage without thinking about that scene in Saving Private Ryan where

502
00:30:19,420 --> 00:30:22,140
there's this dude in the tower and he's about to get killed by the enemy.

503
00:30:22,140 --> 00:30:23,140
You know the scene?

504
00:30:23,140 --> 00:30:25,620
It's been a while since I've seen it.

505
00:30:25,620 --> 00:30:30,420
Then one little scrawny guy, there's one little scrawny guy in the stairwell and he has this

506
00:30:30,420 --> 00:30:31,420
big old gun.

507
00:30:31,420 --> 00:30:33,220
I mean, it's huge.

508
00:30:33,220 --> 00:30:35,460
He has tons of ammo just coming out of it.

509
00:30:35,460 --> 00:30:41,740
He has everything he needs to just run right out there and stop the enemy from killing

510
00:30:41,740 --> 00:30:45,820
his buddy but he just folds.

511
00:30:45,820 --> 00:30:47,980
He just starts weeping.

512
00:30:47,980 --> 00:30:53,020
It's like all the training, all the resources, all the equipment that he's been giving,

513
00:30:53,020 --> 00:30:58,820
the skill sets and he has this massive gun and all these weapons and all he has to do

514
00:30:58,820 --> 00:31:02,540
is walk up and pull the trigger but he folds.

515
00:31:02,540 --> 00:31:05,420
I mean, it's Proverbs 24-10.

516
00:31:05,420 --> 00:31:08,420
If you're faint in the day of distress, your strength is small.

517
00:31:08,420 --> 00:31:09,620
It doesn't matter.

518
00:31:09,620 --> 00:31:11,140
It doesn't matter.

519
00:31:11,140 --> 00:31:15,500
For Nehemiah though, God's glory is too great to stop.

520
00:31:15,500 --> 00:31:17,980
His work is too precious to him.

521
00:31:17,980 --> 00:31:20,060
Nehemiah is like, no, we're not stopping.

522
00:31:20,060 --> 00:31:21,580
You want to come fight?

523
00:31:21,580 --> 00:31:23,780
You want to come after me?

524
00:31:23,780 --> 00:31:27,940
We're going to continue to get after this wall but we are going to be ready for the battle.

525
00:31:27,940 --> 00:31:29,060
Verse 14, I love this.

526
00:31:29,060 --> 00:31:31,820
This is like his brave heart speech.

527
00:31:31,820 --> 00:31:34,580
If I had an Irish Scottish accent, I'd do it.

528
00:31:34,580 --> 00:31:35,580
Verse 14.

529
00:31:35,580 --> 00:31:41,500
He says, and I looked and arose and said to the nobles and to the officials and to the

530
00:31:41,500 --> 00:31:45,820
rest of the people, do not be afraid of them.

531
00:31:45,820 --> 00:31:51,220
Remember the Lord who is great and awesome and fight for your brothers, your sons, your

532
00:31:51,220 --> 00:31:55,700
daughters, your wives and your homes.

533
00:31:55,700 --> 00:32:01,020
It's Nehemiah saying, this thing is too big to be centered around you.

534
00:32:01,020 --> 00:32:03,140
You're fighting for more than just yourself.

535
00:32:03,140 --> 00:32:08,940
Just holy discontent the Lord has given you to go and repair what is broken is bigger

536
00:32:08,940 --> 00:32:11,060
than any one of us.

537
00:32:11,060 --> 00:32:12,580
It represents your families.

538
00:32:12,580 --> 00:32:15,580
It represents your communities, your city, your homes.

539
00:32:15,580 --> 00:32:20,100
It represents generations that are going to come after you.

540
00:32:20,100 --> 00:32:25,780
John Piper, he was doing a Q and A panel one time and he was asked, John Piper, why do

541
00:32:25,780 --> 00:32:28,820
you always preach so much about suffering in America?

542
00:32:28,820 --> 00:32:32,580
Why do you talk so much about missions when dying is gain?

543
00:32:32,580 --> 00:32:35,260
Why do you preach that way from Minneapolis, Minnesota?

544
00:32:35,260 --> 00:32:40,220
His response, if you know John Piper, if you've read his books, if you've was so classic,

545
00:32:40,220 --> 00:32:43,980
he just said, I'm not preaching on suffering for you.

546
00:32:43,980 --> 00:32:49,020
I'm preaching on it for your kids and your grandkids because you may feel that that'll

547
00:32:49,020 --> 00:32:54,020
never happen here in America, but the day is coming where Christianity will have to

548
00:32:54,020 --> 00:32:57,660
be defended and you will be a minority.

549
00:32:57,660 --> 00:32:58,780
I mean, is that not true?

550
00:32:58,780 --> 00:32:59,780
Turn on your TV.

551
00:32:59,780 --> 00:33:00,780
Is that not true?

552
00:33:00,780 --> 00:33:01,780
No.

553
00:33:01,780 --> 00:33:05,660
It represents something far more than just yourself.

554
00:33:05,660 --> 00:33:08,580
This represents the generations that are yet to come.

555
00:33:08,580 --> 00:33:10,220
This is worth fighting for.

556
00:33:10,220 --> 00:33:15,900
In verse 15, we find out that when God becomes big, the enemies really do become small.

557
00:33:15,900 --> 00:33:20,900
Verse 15, when our enemies heard that we knew their scheme and that God had frustrated

558
00:33:20,900 --> 00:33:24,460
it, every one of us returned to his own work on the wall.

559
00:33:24,460 --> 00:33:26,740
So God gets all the glory here, right?

560
00:33:26,740 --> 00:33:29,260
Not thinking throughout the work of God.

561
00:33:29,260 --> 00:33:33,380
In verse 16, you'll notice how they continue from this point forward.

562
00:33:33,380 --> 00:33:38,500
From that day on, half of my servants worked on construction and half held the spears,

563
00:33:38,500 --> 00:33:41,100
shields, bows, and coats of mail.

564
00:33:41,100 --> 00:33:45,140
And the leader stood behind the whole house of Judah who were building on the wall.

565
00:33:45,140 --> 00:33:49,280
Those who carried burdens were loaded in such a way that each labored on the work with one

566
00:33:49,280 --> 00:33:52,540
hand and held his weapon in the other.

567
00:33:52,540 --> 00:33:54,420
You catch that?

568
00:33:54,420 --> 00:33:58,860
In one hand, they're carrying a sword and then the other, they're building the wall.

569
00:33:58,860 --> 00:34:00,300
That's what's going on here.

570
00:34:00,300 --> 00:34:05,220
They're always like, they're working on the wall, but they're ready for the battle.

571
00:34:05,220 --> 00:34:06,700
They're trailing the mortar.

572
00:34:06,700 --> 00:34:09,740
They're placing the stones, but they're ready for battle.

573
00:34:09,740 --> 00:34:10,820
That's what they're doing here.

574
00:34:10,820 --> 00:34:14,100
And in verse 20, Nehemiah gives these people one last charge of encouragement for the work

575
00:34:14,100 --> 00:34:15,580
ahead.

576
00:34:15,580 --> 00:34:21,740
In the place where you hear the sound of the trumpet rally to us there, our God will fight

577
00:34:21,740 --> 00:34:24,380
for us.

578
00:34:24,380 --> 00:34:28,260
If you hear that trumpet sound, that means the battle's coming.

579
00:34:28,260 --> 00:34:34,340
That means you rally together and we're going to go after the enemy together, but know this.

580
00:34:34,340 --> 00:34:35,340
This is your encouragement.

581
00:34:35,340 --> 00:34:36,340
This is what he's telling them.

582
00:34:36,340 --> 00:34:37,620
This is your encouragement.

583
00:34:37,620 --> 00:34:39,220
Our God will go for us.

584
00:34:39,220 --> 00:34:42,060
He will fight for us.

585
00:34:42,060 --> 00:34:46,100
Now essentially that's how chapter 3 ends.

586
00:34:46,100 --> 00:34:49,420
But the question we ask is, why is this here?

587
00:34:49,420 --> 00:34:52,060
Why is this here?

588
00:34:52,060 --> 00:34:54,500
What is about this chapter that we need to know?

589
00:34:54,500 --> 00:34:59,780
Church, I would simply tell you this.

590
00:34:59,780 --> 00:35:10,140
Opposition, persecution is part of the Christian life and Christian ministry.

591
00:35:10,140 --> 00:35:14,940
Has God burdened you for something?

592
00:35:14,940 --> 00:35:19,300
Has He given you a holy discontent?

593
00:35:19,300 --> 00:35:27,740
Have you opened up the Scriptures and read what God says that should be?

594
00:35:27,740 --> 00:35:31,740
Then have you looked around our culture and realized that's not what it is?

595
00:35:31,740 --> 00:35:37,020
Has He pressed your heart on something?

596
00:35:37,020 --> 00:35:39,940
Has He brought you to your face in prayer?

597
00:35:39,940 --> 00:35:44,780
Has He given you a plan and a dream for how this thing could be fixed?

598
00:35:44,780 --> 00:35:50,260
Has He rallied people around you?

599
00:35:50,260 --> 00:35:53,580
Rest assured the mockers are coming.

600
00:35:53,580 --> 00:35:56,140
Rest assured discursion is going to come.

601
00:35:56,140 --> 00:35:58,860
Rest assured there's going to be people from outside and within the camp that's going to

602
00:35:58,860 --> 00:36:02,780
try to stop the plans that the Lord has given you.

603
00:36:02,780 --> 00:36:05,780
We have to persevere.

604
00:36:05,780 --> 00:36:07,900
We have to persevere.

605
00:36:07,900 --> 00:36:09,220
Those people are out there.

606
00:36:09,220 --> 00:36:12,500
Let's prepare our hearts for it.

607
00:36:12,500 --> 00:36:13,780
They're going to come after you.

608
00:36:13,780 --> 00:36:19,100
The enemy will use whatever schemes he can to discourage what God has placed on your

609
00:36:19,100 --> 00:36:20,980
heart.

610
00:36:20,980 --> 00:36:27,860
He will distract you as best he can so that you take your mind off of that.

611
00:36:27,860 --> 00:36:32,060
What has He burdened you for?

612
00:36:32,060 --> 00:36:35,180
I don't know the answer for you.

613
00:36:35,180 --> 00:36:37,140
But here's what I do know.

614
00:36:37,140 --> 00:36:44,020
It's amazing what God can accomplish when the people of God are united together.

615
00:36:44,020 --> 00:36:49,580
It's amazing how quickly this wall gets built when the people of God are united together.

616
00:36:49,580 --> 00:36:51,820
And we're praying through this thing together.

617
00:36:51,820 --> 00:36:53,820
We're fighting for this thing together.

618
00:36:53,820 --> 00:36:55,340
We're defending this thing together.

619
00:36:55,340 --> 00:36:58,460
It's amazing what God will do.

620
00:36:58,460 --> 00:37:01,100
That's why NMI chapter 4 is here.

621
00:37:01,100 --> 00:37:04,500
It's not all good times.

622
00:37:04,500 --> 00:37:06,340
Persecution is going to come.

623
00:37:06,340 --> 00:37:07,700
That's a fact.

624
00:37:07,700 --> 00:37:14,540
But our hope and our trust is that if God has given you the burden, He's going to fight

625
00:37:14,540 --> 00:37:17,580
with you and for you.

626
00:37:17,580 --> 00:37:22,420
He's going to accomplish more through you than you ever think you can do on your own.

627
00:37:22,420 --> 00:37:26,940
We have to remain united together.

628
00:37:26,940 --> 00:37:28,540
Let's get after it.

629
00:37:28,540 --> 00:37:29,540
Let's pray.

630
00:37:29,540 --> 00:37:36,300
Father, I pray right now that as we sing one more song, as we worship together one more

631
00:37:36,300 --> 00:37:45,060
time this morning, God, give us all a holy discontent.

632
00:37:45,060 --> 00:37:52,300
Our world is broken all around us.

633
00:37:52,300 --> 00:37:57,580
Give us a passion like you gave Niamhaya.

634
00:37:57,580 --> 00:38:01,580
Draw us to our knees.

635
00:38:01,580 --> 00:38:08,020
Help us seek after you.

636
00:38:08,020 --> 00:38:12,580
So Father, I pray that you will give us this holy discontent, but you will also protect

637
00:38:12,580 --> 00:38:15,220
us.

638
00:38:15,220 --> 00:38:20,420
You will protect our minds from the discouragement that is going to come our way.

639
00:38:20,420 --> 00:38:24,820
You'll protect our hearts from bitter feelings and angry feelings towards those that come

640
00:38:24,820 --> 00:38:27,500
against us.

641
00:38:27,500 --> 00:38:30,340
Give us this holy discontent.

642
00:38:30,340 --> 00:38:37,300
Help us all be reformers in trying to fix something around us that's broken.

643
00:38:37,300 --> 00:38:39,340
Our hope is in you.

644
00:38:39,340 --> 00:38:40,980
Not in what we can accomplish.

645
00:38:40,980 --> 00:38:46,260
Our hope is in what you can accomplish when you unite us together.

646
00:38:46,260 --> 00:38:51,260
Help us not be distracted by the sambalots and the Tobias that are in our lives.

647
00:38:51,260 --> 00:38:55,980
Help us keep our eyes focused on you in the midst of everything else around us.

648
00:38:55,980 --> 00:38:56,980
We give you this time.

649
00:38:56,980 --> 00:39:03,980
In the name of your name and your prayer.

650
00:39:03,980 --> 00:39:06,980
Amen.

651
00:39:06,980 --> 00:39:30,980
Amen.

652
00:39:30,980 --> 00:39:37,980
Amen.

653
00:40:00,980 --> 00:40:20,980
Amen.

654
00:40:20,980 --> 00:40:31,980
Amen.

655
00:40:31,980 --> 00:40:40,980
Amen.

656
00:40:40,980 --> 00:40:50,980
Amen.

657
00:40:50,980 --> 00:41:00,980
Amen.

658
00:41:00,980 --> 00:41:10,980
Amen.

659
00:41:10,980 --> 00:41:20,980
Amen.

660
00:41:20,980 --> 00:41:30,980
Amen.

661
00:41:30,980 --> 00:41:40,980
Amen.

662
00:41:40,980 --> 00:41:50,980
Amen.

663
00:41:50,980 --> 00:42:00,980
Amen.

664
00:42:00,980 --> 00:42:10,980
Amen.

665
00:42:10,980 --> 00:42:20,980
Amen.

666
00:42:20,980 --> 00:42:30,980
Amen.

667
00:42:30,980 --> 00:42:40,980
Amen.

668
00:42:40,980 --> 00:42:50,980
Amen.

669
00:42:50,980 --> 00:43:00,980
Amen.

670
00:43:00,980 --> 00:43:10,980
Amen.

671
00:43:10,980 --> 00:43:20,980
Amen.

672
00:43:20,980 --> 00:43:30,980
Amen.

673
00:43:30,980 --> 00:43:40,980
Amen.

674
00:43:40,980 --> 00:43:50,980
Amen.

675
00:43:50,980 --> 00:44:00,980
Amen.

676
00:44:00,980 --> 00:44:10,980
Amen.

677
00:44:10,980 --> 00:44:20,980
Amen.

678
00:44:20,980 --> 00:44:26,980
Amen.

679
00:44:26,980 --> 00:44:36,980
Amen.

680
00:44:36,980 --> 00:44:46,980
Amen.

681
00:44:46,980 --> 00:44:56,980
Amen.

682
00:45:16,980 --> 00:45:26,980
Amen.

683
00:45:26,980 --> 00:45:36,980
Amen.

684
00:45:36,980 --> 00:45:46,980
Amen.

685
00:45:46,980 --> 00:45:56,980
Amen.

686
00:45:56,980 --> 00:46:06,980
Amen.

687
00:46:06,980 --> 00:46:16,980
Amen.

688
00:46:16,980 --> 00:46:26,980
Amen.

689
00:46:26,980 --> 00:46:36,980
Amen.

690
00:46:36,980 --> 00:46:46,980
Amen.

691
00:46:46,980 --> 00:46:56,980
Amen.

692
00:46:56,980 --> 00:47:06,980
Amen.

693
00:47:06,980 --> 00:47:16,980
Amen.

694
00:47:16,980 --> 00:47:26,980
Amen.

695
00:47:26,980 --> 00:47:36,980
Amen.

696
00:47:36,980 --> 00:47:46,980
Amen.

697
00:47:46,980 --> 00:47:56,980
Amen.

698
00:47:56,980 --> 00:48:06,980
Amen.

699
00:48:06,980 --> 00:48:16,980
Amen.

700
00:48:16,980 --> 00:48:26,980
Amen.

701
00:48:26,980 --> 00:48:36,980
Amen.

702
00:48:36,980 --> 00:48:46,980
Amen.

703
00:48:46,980 --> 00:48:56,980
Amen.

704
00:48:56,980 --> 00:49:06,980
Amen.