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Welcome to Hub City Vineyard.

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To get connected or to give online go to connect.hcv.church or give.hcv.church.

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If at any point during this message you feel called to make a change in your life, text

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change me to 970-00.

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Thank you and enjoy the message.

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Good morning.

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We have so much to celebrate.

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You guys, what an amazing weekend last weekend.

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If you guys were part of any of that, thank you, thank you, thank you again.

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It's so amazing.

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Compassion Weekend came together.

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Chris and I had this dream, this little inkling two years ago in Asheville, North Carolina

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and said we could do a run, we could do a freedom run, we could do all this stuff.

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And it's just God's developed that vision over the last year and a half, three, so it's

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just so amazing to see it all come to fruition and just the lives that were changed, the

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fun we had and just the night of worship afterwards just to celebrate what God's doing and what

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God's going to continue to do in our city and in your hearts.

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And so I'm just so thankful for you, for everybody that participated.

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So give yourself a round of applause again.

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Okay, and by the way, I'm Jess, if you don't know it, so I'm not Chris.

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So I'm Jess, so you have me today for the message.

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So I'm just going to get started, okay?

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If you're welcoming us from your space at home, that's where we're going to get started

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today.

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We're going to be welcoming us all from space.

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So I don't have any space theme music, so just pretend you're in space right now.

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We're going to transport to space, okay?

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That's where I'm going to begin our talk today.

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So imagine you're a flight director, Gene Kranz, in NASA's space mission.

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It is 1969 and the world is watching you as you are part of launching your team into space

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and your goal is to fill John F. Kennedy's mission to land on the moon.

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Oh, and you must achieve this goal before the other rival country does as well.

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Tons of jet fuel, hundreds of man hours logged, plenty of planning, everything is in place,

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but guess what?

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Something goes wrong with your engineering and it's not right.

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Your people who are already up in space are stranded and you've got to bring them home.

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They've been losing oxygen and you have to call, you have called their family and they're

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in danger and you need to get them home safely.

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Guess what?

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In this situation, failure is not an option, right?

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This is the title of Gene Kranz's book about his experiences in mission control.

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He talks about how every space mission, there was all these strategic moves that happened

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and we thought everything was planned, but guess what?

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There was always hairline adjustments that needed to be made or huge adjustments that

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needed to be made to bring the astronauts home, all right?

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And so failure was not an option, right?

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And so this is the title of his book and this is the title of our sermon today.

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And I'm going to read from you Isaiah 58, 6 through 12, it says, this is the kind of

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worship God wants, true worship.

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Free those who are wrongly imprisoned, lighten the burden of those who work for you, let

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the oppressed go free and remove the chains that bind people.

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Share your food with the hungry and give shelter to the homeless, give clothes to those who

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need them.

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Do not hide from relatives who need your help.

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When your salvation will come like the dawn and your wounds will heal quickly, your godliness

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will lead you forward and the glory of the Lord will protect you from behind.

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Then when you call on the Lord, he will answer you, yes, I am here.

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He will quickly reply.

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He will remove the heavy yoke of oppression.

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Stop pointing your finger and spreading vicious rumors.

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Feed the hungry and help those in trouble.

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And the light, then your light will shine out from the darkness and the darkness around you will be as bright as noon.

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The Lord will guide you continually giving water to you when you're dry and restoring

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your strength.

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You will be like a well watered garden, like an ever flowing spring.

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Some of you will rebuild the desert, deserted ruins of your cities.

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Then you will be known as the rebuilder of walls and the restorer of homes.

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We people, we church, will be known as the rebuilder of walls and the restorer of homes.

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That's our mission.

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That's what God's caught us to do.

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That's why this book of Nehemiah is so powerful because we have to learn that we are on a

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mission from God to restore, rebuild and redeem our city, our lives for the kingdom of God,

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right?

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And so we are on mission today and we're going to talk about that mission.

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And failure is not an option.

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So we've been studying the book of Nehemiah and the first week Carl had an amazing message

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about ownership, how we need to take ownership and step up like Nehemiah and allow us to

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be used like a conduit, right?

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That we're going to allow the Holy Spirit to use us for whatever God wants to fix the

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walls of our city.

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And he talked about worship and how worship was his wall.

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Beautiful story.

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And last week Chris went on to talk about when God puts us on mission, he gives us a

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plan, right?

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And how do we develop a vision and inspire others and how do we do the next best thing,

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right?

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The next best thing.

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But today I get to talk about opposition.

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What a fun topic.

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Yes, let's let Jessica talk about opposition.

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We get to do the fun inspiring things and she gets to talk about all the destruction

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and all the attacks that are going to come your way.

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But guess what?

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Today, because I went through a lot of opposition this week and I get to share a lot of stories

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with you, so we're going to look at the story of Nehemiah.

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But I want to look at it with a different perspective.

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So what I want you to do today is picture Nehemiah as Jesus, right?

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So Jesus, he's in the presence of the king and he's distraught about his people.

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He's distraught about the world.

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You know, and he wants to go back and he wants to restore the walls.

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He wants to rebuild your lives.

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He wants to give you the key, which is God's love, right?

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He wants to come.

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And so I think being Nehemiah is too big of a task, but I can be Jesus' helper, right?

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So we are going to partner with Jesus as he comes back and restores the walls in the story

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of Nehemiah.

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I want us to see ourselves as partnering with God to rebuild the walls.

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You know, because our friends, our family, our community, all the walls that we see around

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you, a lot of our walls have been torn down, right?

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And they need, they need to be built back up.

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They need to be strong.

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And so we can experience God's love, God's joy, God's peace, right?

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When our walls are broken down, we're easily attacked.

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We're easily, things can come against us.

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But we have strong walls in cities there.

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They had strong walls to protect them and keep them safe.

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And God wants to come in and rebuild our walls so that we're safe and we're protected and

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we can protect those around us.

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So our first point today is we will live life on mission.

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We will live life on mission.

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And I told you that our mission is to be the restorer of walls, the builder of, builder

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in people's lives.

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So Nehemiah 2, 17 says, but now I said to them, you know very well what trouble we are

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in.

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Jerusalem lies in ruins and its gates have been destroyed by fire.

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Let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem and end this disgrace.

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So my question is, I love to ask questions because I'm always reflecting and being a

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problem solver.

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My husband just loves that I ask so many questions.

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And so I always want to know why, right?

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I'm one of that annoying kid like why, why, why, why do we have to do this?

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What do we have to do, right?

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So why do we have to rebuild the walls?

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If the walls are built in the first place and they seem to be good, why do we have to

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rebuild them?

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So from the story we know, from Nehemiah's story and that God's chosen people had abandoned

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him and they decided that they could do life their own way on their own terms.

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So Carl talks about them going into exile, right?

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So they were destroyed, their pride, the ungodly practices.

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And so that's where we find ourselves today, right?

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The walls were destroyed because they thought they could do life on their own without God,

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right?

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How many of us, how many of us in our community of faith, how many of us in this neighborhood,

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we built our lives on things that really didn't matter before Jesus, right?

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We built our lives on things that didn't matter.

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And so we have not built our lives true to plumb.

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Have you guys ever heard the term true to plumb?

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All right, so in construction or carpentry, I'm going to try to explain this.

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Not a construction worker, but I kind of look like one today in my overalls, right?

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So the plumb line would hang and it's a perfect vertical line, right?

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So when you build your walls true to plumb, you build a perfectly straight wall.

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So you think about your life and you think about the wall you built and it has to be

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true to plumb so that the more weight you put on top of it, the more things that come

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at it, the wall won't crumble and tear down, right?

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So if you think about being to plumb, it's vertical.

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And I think about our relationship with God being vertical.

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And the reason I feel like our lives weren't built true to plumb is we didn't always have

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God in our life, right?

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We didn't have this perfect vertical relationship, right?

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We built our lives on things that just were kind of worldly, right?

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So Amos the prophet says, I see a plumb line in the hand of the Lord who stands by a vertical

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wall.

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God tells Amos that he will put a plumb line in the midst of Israel to measure their devotion

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to him.

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We have not built our lives perfectly vertical, just like Israel didn't build their lives

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perfectly vertical, right?

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For the most part, we were not built to plumb because we were influenced by our parents,

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right?

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We had parents who did the best they could and they tried to raise us, right?

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I remember just when we had Isaac and I was 24 and I had him and you just had this baby

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and you just loved them so much, but you have no idea what you're doing, right?

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And you just kind of do what your parents do and you just try to do it a little better,

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right?

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And you're just, you don't get an instruction manual with kids.

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It's not like, oh, okay, this is happening so go to B or this is happening.

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You just do the best you can, right?

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And so some of our lives got built like this.

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Parents did the best they could, right?

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We also are shaped by other factors like insecurities, fears, people that hurt us, trying to please

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other people, never quite measuring up in school, being bullied, right?

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We try to make sure everybody's happy around us, especially women.

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We try to people please, right?

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Oh, they're not happy.

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I'm going to do this or I'm going to do that.

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So we don't really know who we are.

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So our walls get kind of shifted and twisted, right?

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And then like in my life, I built my walls according to Jessica and according to what

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the world said.

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And then I experienced Jesus, Jesus.

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I experienced his perfect love, his perfect peace, his perfect acceptance for me just

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as I was.

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I didn't have to change.

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I didn't have to do anything.

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I didn't have to be anybody.

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I wasn't.

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I experienced that love and suddenly my walls just came tumbling down.

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The walls that I had put up for safety to keep other people out, God just exposed all

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of that and said, I love you.

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It doesn't matter.

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It doesn't matter who you are, what you did.

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You're my child and I'm going to fight for you and I'm going to build your walls together.

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And so when I experienced Jesus' love for the first time, I realized that I had been

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building my life on the wrong foundation, you know, the wrong, I hadn't built it to

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plum, right?

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So I'm just going to talk about like, have you guys ever grow up in the seventies, the

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eighties, you know, you had the old school wooden blocks, you know, wooden blocks.

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You would get like, I remember in preschool, like I get my wooden blocks and I build my

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houses and I had them out and then they'd always come tumbling down, right?

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It was like almost impossible to build them to plum because you were basically like, okay,

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I'm going to try to measure up and then your friend would come by and like kick them over

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and then you're like, ah, I remember when I had kids, I had older kids and younger kids

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and they, they build these amazing things and they just come tumbling down.

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So I think about my life before God is like wooden blocks and then Jesus comes in and

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he brings Legos, right?

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He brings Legos.

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Legos are cool.

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He's like, let me show you how to really build.

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You know, I get, you get Legos and he said, let's do this thing right.

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Let's build the walls in your life right.

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So Jesus comes in with Legos and Phoenix right now is into Legos, right?

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We he loves to build things and create things.

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So Chris and I went to Florida a couple of weeks ago and we brought him back a plane,

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like he loves planes.

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I didn't bring him back a spirit plane because Chris is mad at spirit right now.

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So but we brought him back a Lego kit and it had pontoons.

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It was a pontoon boat that he could catch.

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And so he kept going, when are we going to build the plane?

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When are we going to build the plane?

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We're like, not yet because it was like eight plus ages, eight plus or 10 plus, because

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you can't really build anything cool until you get older.

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00:13:21,280 --> 00:13:24,440
So Chris got him this plane and he was really excited about it and kept going, when are

232
00:13:24,440 --> 00:13:25,440
we going to build it?

233
00:13:25,440 --> 00:13:26,440
When are we going to build it?

234
00:13:26,440 --> 00:13:27,700
And it's like, Phoenix, you need to have our help.

235
00:13:27,700 --> 00:13:30,840
We got to build it together, buddy, because I don't think you can do this on there.

236
00:13:30,840 --> 00:13:34,520
And there's like lots of little pieces and there's all these instructions.

237
00:13:34,520 --> 00:13:37,120
And so finally we sat down and we built it together.

238
00:13:37,120 --> 00:13:38,120
Right?

239
00:13:38,120 --> 00:13:42,840
And I opened up the book, there's a lot of thousand pieces and we go to page one and

240
00:13:42,840 --> 00:13:44,320
it starts with one part.

241
00:13:44,320 --> 00:13:45,320
Right?

242
00:13:45,320 --> 00:13:46,400
And that's what Jesus does with our life.

243
00:13:46,400 --> 00:13:47,400
One part.

244
00:13:47,400 --> 00:13:49,840
And then we flip the page and we go to page two.

245
00:13:49,840 --> 00:13:53,600
And so I'm giving Phoenix a Lego, I'm showing him the pictures, we're working on it together,

246
00:13:53,600 --> 00:13:54,920
we're discovering the pieces.

247
00:13:54,920 --> 00:13:55,920
Right?

248
00:13:55,920 --> 00:13:58,040
It was like a symbiotic relationship.

249
00:13:58,040 --> 00:13:59,580
You know, a symbiotic relationship.

250
00:13:59,580 --> 00:14:00,580
Both people need each other.

251
00:14:00,580 --> 00:14:02,160
And I think about our relationship with God.

252
00:14:02,160 --> 00:14:06,760
I think Jesus teaches us about God and we come into this community with God in this

253
00:14:06,760 --> 00:14:11,000
symbiotic relationship where we're building our life on the kingdom of God.

254
00:14:11,000 --> 00:14:14,720
We're building our life through Legos and we're creating amazing things in our life

255
00:14:14,720 --> 00:14:18,160
that are going to stay together unless you're a four-year-old and you try to fly it through

256
00:14:18,160 --> 00:14:19,160
the air.

257
00:14:19,160 --> 00:14:20,160
Right?

258
00:14:20,160 --> 00:14:23,660
But you're building life together and you're in this symbiotic relationship because you

259
00:14:23,660 --> 00:14:26,920
understand that you can't do life on your own.

260
00:14:26,920 --> 00:14:27,920
Right?

261
00:14:27,920 --> 00:14:30,920
And it's not that God doesn't want you to, he doesn't want to help you, empower you and

262
00:14:30,920 --> 00:14:33,280
all those things, but you need his strength.

263
00:14:33,280 --> 00:14:34,840
You need the Holy Spirit in there.

264
00:14:34,840 --> 00:14:35,840
Right?

265
00:14:35,840 --> 00:14:39,420
And so that's what I think about when I think about Legos and God and building the wall

266
00:14:39,420 --> 00:14:43,800
true to plum, that we need sets of Legos.

267
00:14:43,800 --> 00:14:45,400
Right?

268
00:14:45,400 --> 00:14:51,120
So a symbiotic relationship is a long-term interaction between two or more species that

269
00:14:51,120 --> 00:14:53,640
can benefit one or both organisms.

270
00:14:53,640 --> 00:14:59,640
And I think when we're in a symbiotic relationship with God, it benefits both of us.

271
00:14:59,640 --> 00:15:00,640
Right?

272
00:15:00,640 --> 00:15:03,120
He loves to have relationship with you.

273
00:15:03,120 --> 00:15:08,320
He loves you coming in and saying, hey, I had a hard day, God, let's work this out together.

274
00:15:08,320 --> 00:15:11,560
He loves his children to be close to him.

275
00:15:11,560 --> 00:15:15,000
I love when Phoenix and I are able to do things together.

276
00:15:15,000 --> 00:15:16,000
Right?

277
00:15:16,000 --> 00:15:18,680
And that's our relationship with God.

278
00:15:18,680 --> 00:15:23,120
So to build walls true to plum, we need a master builder.

279
00:15:23,120 --> 00:15:24,200
Right?

280
00:15:24,200 --> 00:15:27,240
So point two, here comes the opposition.

281
00:15:27,240 --> 00:15:30,460
We will confront external opposition.

282
00:15:30,460 --> 00:15:33,280
So Nehemiah and them start building on the walls.

283
00:15:33,280 --> 00:15:34,280
Chapter three is amazing.

284
00:15:34,280 --> 00:15:37,360
They're talking about all the things they're doing together, how each family is doing their

285
00:15:37,360 --> 00:15:39,880
own part, and things are happening.

286
00:15:39,880 --> 00:15:40,880
But guess what?

287
00:15:40,880 --> 00:15:41,880
Nehemiah 4.4.

288
00:15:41,880 --> 00:15:47,200
Then I prayed, hear us, O God, for we are being mocked, and may their scoffing fall

289
00:15:47,200 --> 00:15:53,720
back on their own heads, and may they themselves become captives in a foreign land.

290
00:15:53,720 --> 00:15:56,360
So Nehemiah and them are starting to build the walls, and all of a sudden they're getting

291
00:15:56,360 --> 00:15:58,800
mocked by the people that are living in the land already.

292
00:15:58,800 --> 00:15:59,800
Right?

293
00:15:59,800 --> 00:16:00,800
So what are you doing?

294
00:16:00,800 --> 00:16:02,120
Why are you doing this?

295
00:16:02,120 --> 00:16:03,160
You shouldn't do it.

296
00:16:03,160 --> 00:16:07,040
Just basically, you know when you live your life on mission, people are gonna start to

297
00:16:07,040 --> 00:16:08,040
mock you.

298
00:16:08,040 --> 00:16:12,480
Especially if you were before Jesus, if you were a different person, people that were

299
00:16:12,480 --> 00:16:14,640
with you before are gonna say, what are you doing?

300
00:16:14,640 --> 00:16:15,640
You're stupid.

301
00:16:15,640 --> 00:16:16,880
Just come out to the bars with us.

302
00:16:16,880 --> 00:16:17,880
Just have fun.

303
00:16:17,880 --> 00:16:19,080
You're not the same person anymore.

304
00:16:19,080 --> 00:16:21,600
Yes, I'm not the same person.

305
00:16:21,600 --> 00:16:24,280
But I love God, and you can come with me, but they don't want to.

306
00:16:24,280 --> 00:16:25,280
Right?

307
00:16:25,280 --> 00:16:26,280
Right?

308
00:16:26,280 --> 00:16:27,280
They mock you.

309
00:16:27,280 --> 00:16:28,280
They make fun of you.

310
00:16:28,280 --> 00:16:33,540
And other people don't understand all the time and it could be members of your own family,

311
00:16:33,540 --> 00:16:34,540
right?

312
00:16:34,540 --> 00:16:38,040
So many of you guys in this room have also been called to mission.

313
00:16:38,040 --> 00:16:43,700
You've heard God call you to a certain mission, a certain thing, and you start that mission

314
00:16:43,700 --> 00:16:46,020
and then opposition hits.

315
00:16:46,020 --> 00:16:50,760
And I want to suggest, it's not just opposition from your own family or for your friends or

316
00:16:50,760 --> 00:16:57,020
people around you, but Ephesians 6,12 says, for we are not fighting against flesh and

317
00:16:57,020 --> 00:17:00,100
and blood enemies, but against unseen rulers

318
00:17:00,100 --> 00:17:02,420
and authorities of the unseen world,

319
00:17:02,420 --> 00:17:04,380
against mighty powers of this dark world

320
00:17:04,380 --> 00:17:06,460
and against evil spirits in heavenly places.

321
00:17:06,460 --> 00:17:07,660
Guess what?

322
00:17:07,660 --> 00:17:09,500
We have powers fighting against us.

323
00:17:09,500 --> 00:17:10,860
They don't want us to be good.

324
00:17:10,860 --> 00:17:12,300
They don't want us to make a difference.

325
00:17:12,300 --> 00:17:15,680
They don't want us to fight oppression, right?

326
00:17:15,680 --> 00:17:16,680
The enemy loves that.

327
00:17:16,680 --> 00:17:20,940
He loves you to stay in one place and to be stuck, right?

328
00:17:20,940 --> 00:17:22,820
But we are fighting an unseen enemy,

329
00:17:22,820 --> 00:17:24,900
so we have to realize what the attacks come

330
00:17:24,900 --> 00:17:27,740
and the mocking comes, that is not the voice of God.

331
00:17:27,740 --> 00:17:29,220
That is not the voice of our God.

332
00:17:29,220 --> 00:17:30,660
Our God is encouraging.

333
00:17:30,660 --> 00:17:31,820
Our God is positive.

334
00:17:31,820 --> 00:17:35,420
Our God is not condemning in any way, right?

335
00:17:37,620 --> 00:17:40,460
Nehemiah 4, 7, 3, 8 says,

336
00:17:40,460 --> 00:17:43,140
"'But when Sandoval and Tobiah and the Arabs

337
00:17:43,140 --> 00:17:46,000
"'and the Ammonites and the Astrodites heard

338
00:17:46,000 --> 00:17:47,500
"'that the work was going ahead

339
00:17:47,500 --> 00:17:49,460
"'and that the gaps in the wall of Jerusalem

340
00:17:49,460 --> 00:17:52,060
"'were being repaired, they were furious.

341
00:17:52,060 --> 00:17:54,400
"'They made plans to come and fight against Jerusalem

342
00:17:54,400 --> 00:17:56,560
"'and throw us into confusion.'"

343
00:17:57,620 --> 00:18:00,020
So we have all been verbally attacked here, right?

344
00:18:00,020 --> 00:18:02,180
Everybody in this room, if you haven't been verbally attacked,

345
00:18:02,180 --> 00:18:05,580
I wanna come and meet you because, right?

346
00:18:05,580 --> 00:18:07,940
We've all been verbally attacked,

347
00:18:07,940 --> 00:18:09,820
and the attacks keep coming, right?

348
00:18:09,820 --> 00:18:10,660
They keep coming at you,

349
00:18:10,660 --> 00:18:12,380
especially when you're doing things that are good.

350
00:18:12,380 --> 00:18:15,220
You say, I'm gonna be a teacher and I'm gonna work

351
00:18:15,220 --> 00:18:17,220
to change kids' lives and I'm gonna inspire others

352
00:18:17,220 --> 00:18:19,540
and then the parents come and attack you, right?

353
00:18:19,540 --> 00:18:22,380
Or I'm gonna be a police officer and I'm gonna work

354
00:18:22,380 --> 00:18:24,340
and I'm gonna fight for the good of the city

355
00:18:24,340 --> 00:18:28,460
and then you have to fight against the budget, right?

356
00:18:28,460 --> 00:18:31,460
Or whatever you're doing, whatever God's called you into,

357
00:18:31,460 --> 00:18:34,660
whatever career, you're a nurse and you're trying

358
00:18:34,660 --> 00:18:37,580
and you're tired and you've made a mistake, right?

359
00:18:37,580 --> 00:18:40,060
It doesn't mean it's not, and somebody attacks you

360
00:18:40,060 --> 00:18:41,760
and says you're doing a bad job, right?

361
00:18:41,760 --> 00:18:44,160
It's happened to all of us, right?

362
00:18:44,160 --> 00:18:46,140
But that's not what God says, right?

363
00:18:46,140 --> 00:18:48,820
And how do I know that we're all gonna get verbally attacked

364
00:18:48,820 --> 00:18:51,380
because Jesus was verbally attacked, right?

365
00:18:51,380 --> 00:18:55,060
He was verbally attacked while he was hanging on the cross.

366
00:18:55,060 --> 00:18:58,460
He had people mocking him and making fun of him.

367
00:18:58,460 --> 00:19:02,380
I read Matthew 27, 42 says, he saved others,

368
00:19:02,380 --> 00:19:04,620
they scoff but he can't save himself.

369
00:19:04,620 --> 00:19:07,200
So he is this king of Israel, is he?

370
00:19:07,200 --> 00:19:09,340
Let him come down from the cross right now

371
00:19:09,340 --> 00:19:11,060
and we will believe in him.

372
00:19:11,060 --> 00:19:15,640
Jesus, hanging on the cross, dying for our sins,

373
00:19:15,640 --> 00:19:17,860
and people didn't understand, right?

374
00:19:17,860 --> 00:19:20,060
They didn't understand, they saw the worldly perspective,

375
00:19:20,060 --> 00:19:23,500
right, they didn't see what God was doing.

376
00:19:23,500 --> 00:19:25,500
They didn't see what Jesus was doing.

377
00:19:25,500 --> 00:19:27,300
He was tearing down the gates of hell

378
00:19:27,300 --> 00:19:28,800
so we could have a relationship with God.

379
00:19:28,800 --> 00:19:31,420
He was living life on mission and he was verbally

380
00:19:31,420 --> 00:19:33,940
and physically attacked, right?

381
00:19:35,220 --> 00:19:37,620
We need to, when we're being verbally attacked,

382
00:19:37,620 --> 00:19:40,020
we need to put on our kingdom glasses, right?

383
00:19:40,020 --> 00:19:42,480
We need to take and get a different perspective, right?

384
00:19:42,480 --> 00:19:44,740
We need to get a divine perspective.

385
00:19:44,740 --> 00:19:47,260
So I always just pretend you're putting on your glasses now

386
00:19:47,260 --> 00:19:48,860
and say no, I'm not gonna look at this

387
00:19:48,860 --> 00:19:50,580
through my worldly eyes,

388
00:19:50,580 --> 00:19:52,340
I'm gonna look at it through my heavenly eyes.

389
00:19:52,340 --> 00:19:54,640
And God, give me perspective on this.

390
00:19:54,640 --> 00:19:56,260
Why is this person coming at me?

391
00:19:56,260 --> 00:19:58,740
Why are they so angry, right?

392
00:19:58,740 --> 00:20:02,020
And God will show you how to pray, how to fight,

393
00:20:02,020 --> 00:20:03,940
how to do your battles, right?

394
00:20:05,620 --> 00:20:08,580
Name calling and mockery have the power to destroy a dream

395
00:20:08,580 --> 00:20:12,820
if we give them power, if we give them power, right?

396
00:20:12,820 --> 00:20:15,520
Many people have stopped doing what God has called them to do

397
00:20:15,520 --> 00:20:19,300
because somebody didn't believe in them, right?

398
00:20:19,300 --> 00:20:21,920
So why do you think the attackers in the story

399
00:20:21,920 --> 00:20:24,340
were so furious, so angry?

400
00:20:24,340 --> 00:20:26,340
Does anybody know?

401
00:20:26,340 --> 00:20:28,380
You think they could have been jealous?

402
00:20:28,380 --> 00:20:29,700
Have you ever been attacked by somebody

403
00:20:29,700 --> 00:20:31,360
who is jealous of you, right?

404
00:20:31,360 --> 00:20:33,580
So in the story, some of these attackers,

405
00:20:33,580 --> 00:20:35,060
they're already living in the land

406
00:20:35,060 --> 00:20:36,680
and they didn't restore the walls.

407
00:20:36,680 --> 00:20:38,380
They just let them lay there, right?

408
00:20:38,380 --> 00:20:40,300
They're laying there, people are attacking,

409
00:20:40,300 --> 00:20:41,640
they're jealous of what's going on,

410
00:20:41,640 --> 00:20:43,780
they're jealous that Nehemiah has a vision,

411
00:20:43,780 --> 00:20:46,820
a plan from God and he's making progress, right?

412
00:20:46,820 --> 00:20:49,420
They're jealous, they're afraid, they're scared,

413
00:20:49,420 --> 00:20:51,220
they don't want things to change, they've got the power,

414
00:20:51,220 --> 00:20:52,040
right?

415
00:20:52,040 --> 00:20:53,820
Whenever you change things and people in power,

416
00:20:53,820 --> 00:20:55,300
they can get scared because they're like,

417
00:20:55,300 --> 00:20:57,540
wait, we've got power, we've got control of people now

418
00:20:57,540 --> 00:20:58,900
and things are changing.

419
00:20:58,900 --> 00:21:00,280
He's fighting for their press,

420
00:21:00,280 --> 00:21:01,980
he's building walls around everybody's home,

421
00:21:01,980 --> 00:21:04,260
everybody's gonna be protected, right?

422
00:21:04,260 --> 00:21:07,700
So people can be scared, they can feel this shift in power,

423
00:21:07,700 --> 00:21:08,660
your family can be scared

424
00:21:08,660 --> 00:21:10,520
because they just liked you the way you were,

425
00:21:10,520 --> 00:21:12,220
even though they didn't, right?

426
00:21:12,220 --> 00:21:15,220
People like to keep power, right?

427
00:21:15,220 --> 00:21:17,020
People like to keep power.

428
00:21:17,020 --> 00:21:20,820
Nehemiah 412 says, the Jews who lived near the enemy came

429
00:21:20,820 --> 00:21:22,600
and told us again and again,

430
00:21:22,600 --> 00:21:25,660
they will come from all directions and attack us.

431
00:21:25,660 --> 00:21:29,020
So they have the verbal attacks, right?

432
00:21:29,020 --> 00:21:31,980
The verbal abuse, but now physical attacks, right?

433
00:21:31,980 --> 00:21:34,740
When the enemy can't stop you verbally,

434
00:21:34,740 --> 00:21:36,640
he tries to attack you physically, right?

435
00:21:36,640 --> 00:21:39,860
This week I've been totally sick all week.

436
00:21:39,860 --> 00:21:41,860
It might have been that I wore myself down last week,

437
00:21:41,860 --> 00:21:43,340
but I think I was kind of sick last week,

438
00:21:43,340 --> 00:21:44,740
but all week I'm just sick.

439
00:21:44,740 --> 00:21:46,860
And whenever there's an event that comes,

440
00:21:46,860 --> 00:21:49,920
usually my dog gets sick, my kid gets sick,

441
00:21:49,920 --> 00:21:52,940
our pipes break in the basement, something happens, right?

442
00:21:52,940 --> 00:21:55,100
Because the enemy wants to do a physical thing

443
00:21:55,100 --> 00:21:56,940
to take your eyes off the spiritual thing

444
00:21:56,940 --> 00:21:58,380
that you're doing, right?

445
00:21:58,380 --> 00:21:59,660
As soon as you sign up to teach,

446
00:21:59,660 --> 00:22:01,540
as soon as you say, yeah, I'm gonna teach, guess what?

447
00:22:01,540 --> 00:22:03,460
The next week your car's gonna break, right?

448
00:22:03,460 --> 00:22:06,620
I tell people that, your kids are gonna be sick, you know?

449
00:22:06,620 --> 00:22:08,660
You're gonna, something's gonna happen, right?

450
00:22:08,660 --> 00:22:10,940
Because the enemy doesn't want us to move forward

451
00:22:10,940 --> 00:22:11,980
in what God's called us to do.

452
00:22:11,980 --> 00:22:13,820
He doesn't want us to see our purpose

453
00:22:13,820 --> 00:22:17,380
and how we can have, we can move forward in God, right?

454
00:22:17,380 --> 00:22:19,020
He wants us to stay stuck.

455
00:22:19,020 --> 00:22:21,180
So you're gonna have physical attacks.

456
00:22:21,180 --> 00:22:22,700
When we were building this church, right?

457
00:22:22,700 --> 00:22:23,960
We were building this church,

458
00:22:23,960 --> 00:22:25,400
it felt like we were going up,

459
00:22:25,400 --> 00:22:26,580
I think I've explained this before,

460
00:22:26,580 --> 00:22:28,500
it felt like we were going uphill, right?

461
00:22:28,500 --> 00:22:30,760
We were riding a bike and we were going nowhere.

462
00:22:30,760 --> 00:22:32,680
Like literally I'm pedaling like this, right?

463
00:22:32,680 --> 00:22:36,040
But the enemy attacked my kids, my kids ended up sick.

464
00:22:36,040 --> 00:22:39,980
You know, people that I loved who were in relationship

465
00:22:39,980 --> 00:22:41,340
with me attacked me, right?

466
00:22:41,340 --> 00:22:44,100
Things happen because the enemy did not want this church

467
00:22:44,100 --> 00:22:44,940
to be built.

468
00:22:44,940 --> 00:22:47,220
And when I looked at it through my natural eyes,

469
00:22:47,220 --> 00:22:49,820
it overwhelmed me, but when I looked at it

470
00:22:49,820 --> 00:22:51,860
through my spiritual eyes, I said, okay,

471
00:22:51,860 --> 00:22:53,300
God's gonna do something here.

472
00:22:53,300 --> 00:22:55,220
And now can you pray and can you support me

473
00:22:55,220 --> 00:22:57,080
because this is hard, right?

474
00:22:57,080 --> 00:22:58,500
It's hard, right?

475
00:22:59,420 --> 00:23:01,980
So it doesn't stop with just the external opposition.

476
00:23:01,980 --> 00:23:04,080
So whenever I get sick, whenever I get down,

477
00:23:04,080 --> 00:23:08,540
then we will contend with internal opposition, point three.

478
00:23:08,540 --> 00:23:11,600
We will contend with internal opposition.

479
00:23:11,600 --> 00:23:13,580
So not only do they have people attacking them

480
00:23:13,580 --> 00:23:17,540
from without, now we'll read in Nehemiah 410,

481
00:23:17,540 --> 00:23:19,940
then the people of Judah began to complain.

482
00:23:19,940 --> 00:23:21,420
The workers are getting tired

483
00:23:21,420 --> 00:23:23,140
and there's so much rubble to be moved

484
00:23:23,140 --> 00:23:26,220
and we will never be able to build the walls by ourselves.

485
00:23:26,220 --> 00:23:29,780
Complaining, arguing, grumbling, right?

486
00:23:29,780 --> 00:23:31,700
It's so frustrating as a parent,

487
00:23:31,700 --> 00:23:33,100
you're getting ready for vacation

488
00:23:33,100 --> 00:23:34,540
or you're trying to get your kids on vacation

489
00:23:34,540 --> 00:23:37,320
and they start fighting and bickering with each other,

490
00:23:37,320 --> 00:23:38,780
right, how long are we gonna get there?

491
00:23:38,780 --> 00:23:40,800
I can't believe I have to pack, I can't believe this.

492
00:23:40,800 --> 00:23:41,640
Where am I gonna sleep?

493
00:23:41,640 --> 00:23:43,780
Oh, my sister stinks, oh, they hit me.

494
00:23:43,780 --> 00:23:46,220
I have to sit there, I can't, seriously,

495
00:23:46,220 --> 00:23:48,100
we're on mission for vacation, guys.

496
00:23:48,100 --> 00:23:50,580
Like, can we not be happy, right?

497
00:23:50,580 --> 00:23:51,940
Everything, grumbling and complaining,

498
00:23:51,940 --> 00:23:55,500
it just deflates you, right?

499
00:23:55,500 --> 00:23:58,020
It's like, okay, I really wanna go on vacation,

500
00:23:58,020 --> 00:23:59,620
but not really, right?

501
00:24:00,540 --> 00:24:01,860
How much longer?

502
00:24:01,860 --> 00:24:03,420
How much longer, I have to go to the bathroom.

503
00:24:03,420 --> 00:24:06,480
Oh, mom, it's in my face, you know, it's just crazy.

504
00:24:06,480 --> 00:24:08,640
But can you imagine, you're building a wall with people

505
00:24:08,640 --> 00:24:11,900
and all of a sudden they said, oh, mm, I'm tired now,

506
00:24:11,900 --> 00:24:14,100
I don't wanna work now, or oh, this happened at my house,

507
00:24:14,100 --> 00:24:15,140
I gotta go home, right?

508
00:24:15,140 --> 00:24:17,460
Arguing, grumbling and complaining.

509
00:24:17,460 --> 00:24:19,500
You know, I've been on teams, you know,

510
00:24:19,500 --> 00:24:21,620
I've been to coaches on teams, and you know what?

511
00:24:21,620 --> 00:24:25,380
Teams that don't like each other don't win, right?

512
00:24:25,380 --> 00:24:26,740
Teams that attack each other

513
00:24:26,740 --> 00:24:29,300
and pick little bitty things out at each other

514
00:24:29,300 --> 00:24:31,260
and say, she said that and she said that

515
00:24:31,260 --> 00:24:32,820
and she did this and she did that.

516
00:24:32,820 --> 00:24:34,380
Guess what, they're never gonna win

517
00:24:34,380 --> 00:24:36,060
because they can't come together

518
00:24:36,060 --> 00:24:37,580
and accept each other's differences

519
00:24:37,580 --> 00:24:39,540
and come together as a team, right?

520
00:24:39,540 --> 00:24:42,700
And I feel like sometimes that's us as the body of Christ.

521
00:24:42,700 --> 00:24:44,660
We wanna point out everybody's faults,

522
00:24:44,660 --> 00:24:47,300
everybody's failures, everybody's shortcomings,

523
00:24:47,300 --> 00:24:51,000
but can we just say we're all on Team Jesus, people, right?

524
00:24:51,000 --> 00:24:53,500
We're all in this together and we're better together

525
00:24:53,500 --> 00:24:55,180
because we have strength in numbers

526
00:24:55,180 --> 00:24:57,380
and God needs every single one of us

527
00:24:57,380 --> 00:24:59,700
on every part of this wall, around this community,

528
00:24:59,700 --> 00:25:02,500
we need every single church and every single community

529
00:25:02,500 --> 00:25:04,940
that's building up this nation to work together

530
00:25:04,940 --> 00:25:07,820
so that Hagerstown has changed, this Tri-State area's changed

531
00:25:07,820 --> 00:25:10,980
and our country has changed for God's glory, right?

532
00:25:10,980 --> 00:25:12,900
The political scene, we need to stop arguing

533
00:25:12,900 --> 00:25:14,060
and bickering with each other

534
00:25:14,060 --> 00:25:17,500
and we need to solve problems for the people, right?

535
00:25:17,500 --> 00:25:21,620
Right, I love, I love, I love our country,

536
00:25:21,620 --> 00:25:23,220
but we need to get off of ourselves

537
00:25:23,220 --> 00:25:26,380
and get on like how can we get along and work together,

538
00:25:26,380 --> 00:25:29,740
right, we need to work together to move forward.

539
00:25:29,740 --> 00:25:32,740
We need to stop grumbling, arguing and complaining

540
00:25:32,740 --> 00:25:34,140
and acting like little children

541
00:25:34,140 --> 00:25:37,860
and say okay, God's given us a bigger vision here.

542
00:25:37,860 --> 00:25:39,340
It might not be the way I wanna do it,

543
00:25:39,340 --> 00:25:40,860
it might not be the person I elected

544
00:25:40,860 --> 00:25:43,040
but God's given me a bigger vision here, right?

545
00:25:43,040 --> 00:25:46,500
And I'm gonna fight for justice, right?

546
00:25:46,500 --> 00:25:49,320
We only move forward when we all move together in unity.

547
00:25:52,180 --> 00:25:53,700
So what about the internal struggle

548
00:25:53,700 --> 00:25:56,200
that comes within when we build back?

549
00:25:56,200 --> 00:25:57,940
So this week, I wanna talk a little

550
00:25:57,940 --> 00:25:59,020
about the internal struggle.

551
00:25:59,020 --> 00:26:01,260
So people are grumbling, we're complaining,

552
00:26:01,260 --> 00:26:03,260
but I don't know about you, but when I get sick,

553
00:26:03,260 --> 00:26:06,020
I kinda get in a bad mood.

554
00:26:06,020 --> 00:26:08,980
Sick, tired or hangry, I get really hangry.

555
00:26:08,980 --> 00:26:11,960
I really love food and if I'm low on my blood sugar,

556
00:26:11,960 --> 00:26:13,400
just make me eat before you talk to me

557
00:26:13,400 --> 00:26:15,400
because you might not like me afterwards.

558
00:26:16,540 --> 00:26:19,340
I'm like, what I mean to you is probably hangry,

559
00:26:19,340 --> 00:26:22,180
but anyway, so this week we went to the

560
00:26:22,180 --> 00:26:24,080
National Air and Space Museum with Phoenix.

561
00:26:24,080 --> 00:26:26,540
Chris and I took a field trip down there

562
00:26:26,540 --> 00:26:30,460
to see all the big planes and the, it's crazy, it's amazing,

563
00:26:30,460 --> 00:26:34,620
but I found myself staring at a case with clothes in it.

564
00:26:36,100 --> 00:26:38,500
Yeah, out of all those big fighter jets

565
00:26:38,500 --> 00:26:40,460
and all the airplanes, I was staring at this case

566
00:26:40,460 --> 00:26:43,300
and I was looking at these two sets of clothes.

567
00:26:43,300 --> 00:26:45,100
And when I went closer, I looked at it

568
00:26:45,100 --> 00:26:49,780
and it was the clothes we wear for prisoners of war.

569
00:26:49,780 --> 00:26:52,340
So in Vietnam, they would assign clothes

570
00:26:52,340 --> 00:26:54,660
to people that were prisoners of war.

571
00:26:54,660 --> 00:26:56,460
And I started thinking about the heartache

572
00:26:56,460 --> 00:26:58,900
and how sometimes in our life we become prisoners of war

573
00:26:58,900 --> 00:27:01,300
and all the people that fight for us and for our country

574
00:27:01,300 --> 00:27:03,580
and have been locked away and isolated.

575
00:27:03,580 --> 00:27:06,180
They said lots of times they were pilots that came down

576
00:27:06,180 --> 00:27:07,940
and they're in this prisoner of war camp

577
00:27:07,940 --> 00:27:10,920
and they're by themselves and they have to wear these clothes

578
00:27:10,920 --> 00:27:12,420
that the enemy has given them.

579
00:27:13,700 --> 00:27:16,040
Isn't it interesting how we have to put on clothes

580
00:27:16,040 --> 00:27:18,100
to define us as prisoners of war?

581
00:27:18,100 --> 00:27:20,820
And I saw that another set of clothes,

582
00:27:20,820 --> 00:27:23,980
so they were very Viet Cong, very Vietnamese clothes,

583
00:27:23,980 --> 00:27:25,700
and then there was another set of clothes

584
00:27:25,700 --> 00:27:30,060
that prisoners of war would leave and go home in.

585
00:27:30,060 --> 00:27:31,860
They were their freedom clothes.

586
00:27:31,860 --> 00:27:35,660
And they were a jacket, a khaki pants, a shirt,

587
00:27:35,660 --> 00:27:38,540
but just the differences in the two sets of clothes

588
00:27:38,540 --> 00:27:41,580
and how we get defined of what we wear.

589
00:27:41,580 --> 00:27:43,040
You're a prisoner because you're wearing this,

590
00:27:43,040 --> 00:27:45,500
you're free because you're wearing this.

591
00:27:45,500 --> 00:27:48,100
You're a slave because you've been in this battle,

592
00:27:48,100 --> 00:27:49,700
but you're free now.

593
00:27:49,700 --> 00:27:51,860
Just change your clothes and it's gonna be all good.

594
00:27:51,860 --> 00:27:53,580
And I thought about the mental struggle

595
00:27:53,580 --> 00:27:55,940
that prisoners of war face going home,

596
00:27:55,940 --> 00:27:58,580
trying to put on these normal American clothes

597
00:27:58,580 --> 00:27:59,780
and walk into their homes,

598
00:27:59,780 --> 00:28:02,540
and they've been through all that pain and hardship.

599
00:28:04,180 --> 00:28:06,980
And I thought about you guys and I thought about

600
00:28:06,980 --> 00:28:08,860
what clothes are you wearing right now?

601
00:28:08,860 --> 00:28:11,220
Like if I could look at you, not on the outside,

602
00:28:11,220 --> 00:28:12,420
but if I could look in your internal,

603
00:28:12,420 --> 00:28:13,240
and I could look in your heart,

604
00:28:13,240 --> 00:28:15,540
are you still prisoners in your heart?

605
00:28:15,540 --> 00:28:19,300
Are you still held back by shame or guilt

606
00:28:19,300 --> 00:28:20,940
or something that you've been through?

607
00:28:20,940 --> 00:28:22,420
And I thought about myself this week.

608
00:28:22,420 --> 00:28:25,540
I was wearing prison clothes for most of the week.

609
00:28:25,540 --> 00:28:27,180
I was not in a good mood.

610
00:28:27,180 --> 00:28:28,900
I was not believing what God said.

611
00:28:28,900 --> 00:28:31,420
I was down, I was defeated, right?

612
00:28:31,420 --> 00:28:34,260
And I chose to wrap myself in this prison outfit

613
00:28:34,260 --> 00:28:37,340
and not think of myself as free and forgiven

614
00:28:37,340 --> 00:28:39,860
and full of the Holy Spirit, right?

615
00:28:41,460 --> 00:28:45,620
So I found myself, so the problem we face in our minds

616
00:28:45,620 --> 00:28:48,500
is we just have done, so let me say this again.

617
00:28:49,620 --> 00:28:52,140
See the problem you and I face in our minds

618
00:28:52,140 --> 00:28:54,700
is we haven't just done something wrong,

619
00:28:54,700 --> 00:28:56,820
we are something wrong, right?

620
00:28:56,820 --> 00:28:58,780
When we do something, when we make a mistake

621
00:28:58,780 --> 00:29:02,620
or we're in sin, we feel like we are the sin, right?

622
00:29:02,620 --> 00:29:05,340
We are the bad choice, we are the mistake,

623
00:29:05,340 --> 00:29:07,700
but we're not, right?

624
00:29:07,700 --> 00:29:08,900
We've just done something wrong,

625
00:29:08,900 --> 00:29:11,900
but we wanna put it on ourself, I am something wrong, right?

626
00:29:11,900 --> 00:29:14,300
Examples, I will include some examples

627
00:29:14,300 --> 00:29:15,500
from my own life this week, right?

628
00:29:15,500 --> 00:29:16,420
I don't love myself.

629
00:29:16,420 --> 00:29:17,620
I can't believe I said that again.

630
00:29:17,620 --> 00:29:20,560
I can't believe I did that again.

631
00:29:20,560 --> 00:29:21,400
I'm no good.

632
00:29:21,400 --> 00:29:22,240
Nobody cares about me.

633
00:29:22,240 --> 00:29:23,460
Why would they care about me anyway?

634
00:29:23,460 --> 00:29:25,300
I'm ugly, I'm broken, I'm not enough.

635
00:29:25,300 --> 00:29:26,780
I'm not strong enough, I'm not brave enough,

636
00:29:26,780 --> 00:29:29,900
I'm not smart enough, I'm not kind enough,

637
00:29:29,900 --> 00:29:32,660
I'm not enough, right?

638
00:29:32,660 --> 00:29:34,540
Those are just things that go on in our mind

639
00:29:34,540 --> 00:29:38,740
and in my mind, maybe I'm just crazy, I always have that,

640
00:29:38,740 --> 00:29:40,100
on a daily basis, right?

641
00:29:40,100 --> 00:29:42,220
If we allow us to wear the prison clothes,

642
00:29:42,220 --> 00:29:44,940
if we allow us to believe what the enemy says, right?

643
00:29:44,940 --> 00:29:47,140
And do you know what I have to say

644
00:29:47,140 --> 00:29:49,660
to all the I'm not enoughs?

645
00:29:49,660 --> 00:29:51,260
That's enough.

646
00:29:51,260 --> 00:29:54,020
That's not what God says about me.

647
00:29:54,020 --> 00:29:56,820
God says you're loved, God says you're healed,

648
00:29:56,820 --> 00:29:58,180
God says you're more than enough

649
00:29:58,180 --> 00:30:00,420
because he is more than enough.

650
00:30:00,420 --> 00:30:03,140
He is more than enough, right?

651
00:30:03,140 --> 00:30:05,320
And I've gotta believe what God says about me.

652
00:30:05,320 --> 00:30:07,720
I've gotta believe what Father God wants me to hear,

653
00:30:07,720 --> 00:30:10,420
not what my mind wants to say about me, right?

654
00:30:10,420 --> 00:30:12,860
I'm not the problem, right?

655
00:30:12,860 --> 00:30:14,820
Sin is the problem, the broken world is the problem,

656
00:30:14,820 --> 00:30:17,340
but I need to believe what Jesus says about me.

657
00:30:17,340 --> 00:30:22,340
Point four, we will combat oppression and discrimination

658
00:30:23,040 --> 00:30:25,000
within our own walls.

659
00:30:25,000 --> 00:30:26,480
So they're building the walls,

660
00:30:26,480 --> 00:30:29,220
they're going through all this kind of oppression,

661
00:30:29,220 --> 00:30:31,480
I mean all this kind of attacks, right?

662
00:30:31,480 --> 00:30:32,320
Opposition.

663
00:30:33,160 --> 00:30:35,440
And then Nehemiah, so they're getting through that,

664
00:30:35,440 --> 00:30:38,060
they're developing a plan, but then Nehemiah finds out

665
00:30:38,060 --> 00:30:41,720
in Nehemiah five about oppression and discrimination

666
00:30:41,720 --> 00:30:43,040
in his community, it says.

667
00:30:43,040 --> 00:30:45,280
About this time, some of the men and their wives

668
00:30:45,280 --> 00:30:48,520
raised a cry of protest against their fellow Jews.

669
00:30:48,520 --> 00:30:50,460
They were saying, we have such large families

670
00:30:50,460 --> 00:30:52,500
and we need more food to survive.

671
00:30:52,500 --> 00:30:54,320
Others said we have mortgaged our fields,

672
00:30:54,320 --> 00:30:58,080
our vineyards and homes to get food during the famine.

673
00:30:58,080 --> 00:31:00,440
And others said we had to borrow money on our fields

674
00:31:00,440 --> 00:31:02,160
and vineyards to pay our taxes.

675
00:31:02,160 --> 00:31:05,120
We belong to the same family as those who are wealthy

676
00:31:05,120 --> 00:31:06,960
and our children are just like theirs,

677
00:31:06,960 --> 00:31:10,120
yet we must sell our children into slavery

678
00:31:10,120 --> 00:31:12,060
just to get enough money to live.

679
00:31:12,060 --> 00:31:13,800
We have already sold some of our daughters

680
00:31:13,800 --> 00:31:15,840
and we are helpless to do anything about it.

681
00:31:15,840 --> 00:31:19,140
For our fields and vineyards are already mortgaged to others.

682
00:31:22,160 --> 00:31:24,120
So there was oppression and discrimination

683
00:31:24,120 --> 00:31:26,560
within their community, so basically,

684
00:31:26,560 --> 00:31:29,960
some of the people were extending loans

685
00:31:29,960 --> 00:31:31,240
to the other people and they were so poor

686
00:31:31,240 --> 00:31:34,480
they couldn't pay them back with all the interest, right?

687
00:31:34,480 --> 00:31:36,480
Last weekend we had our first Freedom Run

688
00:31:36,480 --> 00:31:38,640
and Raise Money for Compassion.

689
00:31:38,640 --> 00:31:40,320
You guys heard about it on the video, right?

690
00:31:40,320 --> 00:31:43,080
We sponsored children in Kenya and El Salvador, right?

691
00:31:43,080 --> 00:31:45,720
And some of you guys asked, why Compassion?

692
00:31:45,720 --> 00:31:47,480
Why that organization?

693
00:31:47,480 --> 00:31:48,440
What are we picking them for?

694
00:31:48,440 --> 00:31:49,920
What's that have to do with freedom?

695
00:31:49,920 --> 00:31:51,400
What's that have to do with sex trafficking

696
00:31:51,400 --> 00:31:52,680
and freeing people from?

697
00:31:52,680 --> 00:31:54,480
So I wanted to explain to you,

698
00:31:54,480 --> 00:31:57,280
Compassion's mission is releasing children

699
00:31:57,280 --> 00:32:00,280
from poverty in Jesus' name, right?

700
00:32:00,280 --> 00:32:03,960
And the number one reason that children are trafficked

701
00:32:03,960 --> 00:32:07,480
and exploited and enslaved is poverty.

702
00:32:07,480 --> 00:32:08,640
It's poverty.

703
00:32:09,520 --> 00:32:10,360
It's poverty.

704
00:32:10,360 --> 00:32:13,440
It's the same back then as it is today.

705
00:32:13,440 --> 00:32:16,520
Children are trafficked and enslaved because poverty.

706
00:32:16,520 --> 00:32:20,120
Parents sell their children or give their children away

707
00:32:20,120 --> 00:32:22,240
because they hope for a better life for them

708
00:32:22,240 --> 00:32:26,080
because they can't afford to pay for them to eat, right?

709
00:32:26,080 --> 00:32:28,800
Poverty is what the trap is.

710
00:32:28,800 --> 00:32:30,720
Poverty is what the enemy uses against us.

711
00:32:30,720 --> 00:32:33,480
And the beautiful thing about Compassion

712
00:32:33,480 --> 00:32:37,560
is it combats the problem by not only feeding the children

713
00:32:37,560 --> 00:32:40,760
and providing clothes for the children,

714
00:32:40,760 --> 00:32:44,280
but bringing them into a community of faith, right?

715
00:32:44,280 --> 00:32:48,800
Bringing them into church service every Saturday

716
00:32:48,800 --> 00:32:50,800
and teaching them about Jesus,

717
00:32:50,800 --> 00:32:53,080
providing them spiritual health, right?

718
00:32:53,080 --> 00:32:54,560
They're all connected to church.

719
00:32:54,560 --> 00:32:56,120
So they not only feed them,

720
00:32:56,120 --> 00:32:58,000
they bring them into a community

721
00:32:58,000 --> 00:33:00,880
and they equip them spiritually.

722
00:33:00,880 --> 00:33:02,680
They equip them educationally.

723
00:33:02,680 --> 00:33:05,520
They educate them on how not to get trafficked,

724
00:33:05,520 --> 00:33:06,960
what wisdom to use.

725
00:33:06,960 --> 00:33:08,320
They give them dreams.

726
00:33:08,320 --> 00:33:10,440
They have trade schools.

727
00:33:10,440 --> 00:33:12,040
They help their moms find jobs.

728
00:33:12,040 --> 00:33:13,720
Several, when I was in Kenya,

729
00:33:13,720 --> 00:33:15,760
several of the moms worked at the center.

730
00:33:15,760 --> 00:33:16,760
They were the cooks.

731
00:33:18,120 --> 00:33:19,760
They had little businesses

732
00:33:19,760 --> 00:33:21,680
that they started out of Compassion, right?

733
00:33:21,680 --> 00:33:24,880
They were empowering the moms of the community

734
00:33:24,880 --> 00:33:26,520
because in Kenya there was,

735
00:33:26,520 --> 00:33:28,600
you can marry multiple wives, right?

736
00:33:28,600 --> 00:33:30,000
So they're empowering the wives

737
00:33:30,000 --> 00:33:31,880
to bring ownership to the home.

738
00:33:32,960 --> 00:33:36,280
I met a widow who had five kids

739
00:33:36,280 --> 00:33:38,360
and she just showed me how she had a job

740
00:33:38,360 --> 00:33:39,200
and she had peace.

741
00:33:39,200 --> 00:33:41,480
She had a new home because of Compassion, right?

742
00:33:41,480 --> 00:33:44,680
And life was still hard, but they gave her hope, right?

743
00:33:44,680 --> 00:33:48,280
And you are able to speak hope into one child's life,

744
00:33:48,280 --> 00:33:49,280
their mental health.

745
00:33:49,280 --> 00:33:51,080
You can tell them they're worth it.

746
00:33:51,080 --> 00:33:53,120
You can tell them they're loved, that God loves them.

747
00:33:53,120 --> 00:33:54,800
They can be seen by you

748
00:33:54,800 --> 00:33:58,040
because it takes a village to raise children, right?

749
00:33:58,040 --> 00:33:59,240
And you have one kid.

750
00:33:59,240 --> 00:34:01,960
So you can say, okay, I know the world's a crazy place.

751
00:34:01,960 --> 00:34:03,160
I know there's a lot going on.

752
00:34:03,160 --> 00:34:05,200
I know there's evil out there,

753
00:34:05,200 --> 00:34:08,240
but I'm able to speak into Mercy's life.

754
00:34:08,240 --> 00:34:10,000
Mercy's my kid, right?

755
00:34:10,000 --> 00:34:11,200
I'm able to speak into her life

756
00:34:11,200 --> 00:34:12,840
and tell her how much God loves her

757
00:34:12,840 --> 00:34:14,880
and ask her what her dreams are

758
00:34:14,880 --> 00:34:16,960
and what she wants to do in the future, right?

759
00:34:16,960 --> 00:34:19,040
I'm able to speak life into her.

760
00:34:19,040 --> 00:34:20,240
And that's what we need to do

761
00:34:20,240 --> 00:34:21,960
as a community of faith as well.

762
00:34:21,960 --> 00:34:24,000
Speak life against poverty.

763
00:34:24,000 --> 00:34:24,840
Because guess what?

764
00:34:24,840 --> 00:34:27,240
We're all in a poverty spirit.

765
00:34:27,240 --> 00:34:31,120
We suffer with emotional poverty, relational poverty.

766
00:34:31,120 --> 00:34:33,360
We're not connected to God first

767
00:34:33,360 --> 00:34:35,520
and we're not connected to other people, right?

768
00:34:35,520 --> 00:34:37,320
We feel empty inside.

769
00:34:37,320 --> 00:34:38,480
We feed it with food.

770
00:34:38,480 --> 00:34:39,560
We feed it with drugs.

771
00:34:39,560 --> 00:34:41,320
We feed it with whatever will cope the pain

772
00:34:41,320 --> 00:34:44,240
because we're in a poverty-like state, right?

773
00:34:46,400 --> 00:34:49,320
And families are increasingly becoming more disconnected.

774
00:34:49,320 --> 00:34:53,400
We have connected our children to a social experiment

775
00:34:53,400 --> 00:34:56,080
called smartphones, right?

776
00:34:56,080 --> 00:34:57,200
And so what we've done is

777
00:34:57,200 --> 00:34:58,960
we've not only been disconnected ourselves,

778
00:34:58,960 --> 00:35:00,320
we said, we love you so much, kid.

779
00:35:00,320 --> 00:35:02,440
You can have this phone that costs more than I can make

780
00:35:02,440 --> 00:35:05,320
and I have to pay a bill that is more than I can afford,

781
00:35:05,320 --> 00:35:07,080
but this is how I'm gonna show you my love.

782
00:35:07,080 --> 00:35:08,320
And then they get connected

783
00:35:08,320 --> 00:35:10,520
and they believe what the phone tells them.

784
00:35:11,440 --> 00:35:13,280
They believe what Instagram tells them.

785
00:35:13,280 --> 00:35:14,840
They believe what TikTok tells them.

786
00:35:14,840 --> 00:35:16,760
I don't know how many arguments I got with my kids.

787
00:35:16,760 --> 00:35:19,160
Like, that is not the truth.

788
00:35:19,160 --> 00:35:22,280
I remember Isaac had a friend as a little kid.

789
00:35:22,280 --> 00:35:24,880
He watched TV and he said,

790
00:35:24,880 --> 00:35:26,920
he told me about Superman and this villain.

791
00:35:26,920 --> 00:35:29,400
And he goes, you know what?

792
00:35:29,400 --> 00:35:31,400
TV lied to me again.

793
00:35:31,400 --> 00:35:33,040
It's not real.

794
00:35:33,040 --> 00:35:35,160
Superman didn't defeat Joker.

795
00:35:35,160 --> 00:35:37,400
He's still out there, you know?

796
00:35:37,400 --> 00:35:39,640
So, but it's the same thing with our phones.

797
00:35:39,640 --> 00:35:41,680
Our kids believe what they're fed.

798
00:35:41,680 --> 00:35:45,160
They believe their beauty lies in these pictures,

799
00:35:45,160 --> 00:35:47,720
these airbrushed people or what they have to do, right?

800
00:35:47,720 --> 00:35:49,600
We've given them this thing to say here.

801
00:35:49,600 --> 00:35:52,520
And you know, I'm reading a book, I'm not done it yet,

802
00:35:52,520 --> 00:35:55,240
but it's called The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt.

803
00:35:55,240 --> 00:35:57,680
And the author talks about when we,

804
00:35:57,680 --> 00:36:01,000
the number one reason we have anxiety, depression, suicide,

805
00:36:01,000 --> 00:36:04,400
all those rates have skyrocketed in our kids

806
00:36:04,400 --> 00:36:05,920
since we've given them the smartphone.

807
00:36:05,920 --> 00:36:09,000
And it's not just in America, it's all over the world.

808
00:36:09,000 --> 00:36:11,480
All over the world, kids are choosing to believe

809
00:36:11,480 --> 00:36:13,400
what the phone tells them about them, right?

810
00:36:13,400 --> 00:36:16,640
Choosing, the boys are getting addicted to games and porn

811
00:36:16,640 --> 00:36:19,880
and the girls are addicted to being coming beautiful

812
00:36:19,880 --> 00:36:22,480
and what the internet says about them, right?

813
00:36:22,480 --> 00:36:25,640
So we're losing our kids to a smartphone, right?

814
00:36:26,800 --> 00:36:28,520
So it's emotional poverty.

815
00:36:28,520 --> 00:36:29,560
They're not connecting with you

816
00:36:29,560 --> 00:36:31,040
and they're not connecting with me, right?

817
00:36:31,040 --> 00:36:32,600
I literally have to go to my teenager's district

818
00:36:32,600 --> 00:36:34,840
and put their phones down, right?

819
00:36:34,840 --> 00:36:35,800
Chris was frustrated the other day.

820
00:36:35,800 --> 00:36:39,040
We went, we were at a game and the first thing our daughter

821
00:36:39,040 --> 00:36:40,560
does, she's probably gonna kill me for this example,

822
00:36:40,560 --> 00:36:42,240
but you know, we go over to say hi to her

823
00:36:42,240 --> 00:36:43,280
and she's picking up her phone

824
00:36:43,280 --> 00:36:44,680
and she's answering a text, right?

825
00:36:44,680 --> 00:36:46,720
Whatever, but it was like just the fact

826
00:36:46,720 --> 00:36:47,800
that we're there to support you

827
00:36:47,800 --> 00:36:50,000
and she picks up the phone, right?

828
00:36:50,000 --> 00:36:51,400
Same thing.

829
00:36:51,400 --> 00:36:54,040
So we all have this poverty spirit

830
00:36:54,040 --> 00:36:55,840
and we always feel like we need more.

831
00:36:55,840 --> 00:37:00,840
Point five, we will withstand given

832
00:37:02,280 --> 00:37:03,840
that we do not stand alone.

833
00:37:05,400 --> 00:37:09,400
We will withstand, we will withstand the mission

834
00:37:09,400 --> 00:37:11,000
given that we do not stand alone.

835
00:37:11,000 --> 00:37:13,040
Nehemiah four, eight through nine says,

836
00:37:13,040 --> 00:37:15,640
they all made plans to come and fight against Jerusalem

837
00:37:15,640 --> 00:37:19,120
to throw us into confusion, but we prayed to our God

838
00:37:20,120 --> 00:37:23,280
and guarded the city day and night to protect ourselves.

839
00:37:23,280 --> 00:37:26,680
So what they did is they were coming against them,

840
00:37:26,680 --> 00:37:31,680
but they became fearful.

841
00:37:32,200 --> 00:37:33,480
I'm trying to read what they said.

842
00:37:33,480 --> 00:37:38,480
They got dressed up in bunny costumes and hid in the cave.

843
00:37:39,080 --> 00:37:42,440
No, it says they made plans to come and fight us

844
00:37:42,440 --> 00:37:46,520
to throw us into confusion, but we prayed, right?

845
00:37:46,520 --> 00:37:49,000
Nehemiah, our Jesus type figure, right?

846
00:37:49,000 --> 00:37:50,840
He prayed and sought God.

847
00:37:50,840 --> 00:37:53,320
He knew the attacks were coming.

848
00:37:53,320 --> 00:37:55,540
Oh, do you guys, anybody have little kids

849
00:37:55,540 --> 00:37:58,840
and they watch these cartoons like Paul Patrol or whatever?

850
00:37:58,840 --> 00:37:59,880
This is a side note.

851
00:37:59,880 --> 00:38:01,600
I'll probably get off course here,

852
00:38:01,600 --> 00:38:03,480
but I hate it when I'm watching Paul Patrol

853
00:38:03,480 --> 00:38:04,520
and there's this huge problem

854
00:38:04,520 --> 00:38:06,920
and the train's coming into town and all of a sudden

855
00:38:06,920 --> 00:38:09,040
they're like, okay, calling all Paul Patrol,

856
00:38:09,040 --> 00:38:10,920
calling all Paul Patrol, and they come in

857
00:38:10,920 --> 00:38:12,480
and they said, what's our plan?

858
00:38:12,480 --> 00:38:14,200
And they sit down and they jot a plan

859
00:38:14,200 --> 00:38:15,480
and they make a plan and they're like, okay,

860
00:38:15,480 --> 00:38:16,920
you go here, you go here, you go here,

861
00:38:16,920 --> 00:38:18,400
but they take this time to plan.

862
00:38:18,400 --> 00:38:20,760
And I'm like, that's annoying.

863
00:38:20,760 --> 00:38:22,640
Go and save the world.

864
00:38:22,640 --> 00:38:24,240
You're gonna be hit by a train.

865
00:38:24,240 --> 00:38:27,280
But they're teaching our kids that you need to stop,

866
00:38:27,280 --> 00:38:30,040
you need to pause, you need to pray,

867
00:38:30,040 --> 00:38:31,840
and you need to make a plan, right?

868
00:38:31,840 --> 00:38:33,480
And so that's what they did.

869
00:38:33,480 --> 00:38:36,560
And we also know that if we don't have God on our side,

870
00:38:36,560 --> 00:38:39,720
they knew, Nehemiah knew, hey, I've got God behind me, right?

871
00:38:39,720 --> 00:38:42,640
And if God's on my side, I'm gonna win.

872
00:38:42,640 --> 00:38:45,900
So we know if we're fighting against injustice,

873
00:38:45,900 --> 00:38:48,040
we know God hates injustice and God is on our side

874
00:38:48,040 --> 00:38:49,580
and we're gonna win.

875
00:38:49,580 --> 00:38:52,960
So Nehemiah, God gives them this plan, Nehemiah 4.13,

876
00:38:52,960 --> 00:38:55,560
he says, so I placed armed guards

877
00:38:55,560 --> 00:38:58,920
behind the lowest parts of the wall and the exposed areas.

878
00:38:58,920 --> 00:39:00,680
I stationed the people to stand guard

879
00:39:00,680 --> 00:39:03,720
by families armed with swords and spears and bows.

880
00:39:03,720 --> 00:39:05,480
I love this example.

881
00:39:05,480 --> 00:39:06,700
They're all fighting together.

882
00:39:06,700 --> 00:39:08,240
They've got their equipment in one hand.

883
00:39:08,240 --> 00:39:11,040
The families are standing together, right?

884
00:39:11,040 --> 00:39:13,680
I was, it was so powerful in the worship night this weekend

885
00:39:13,680 --> 00:39:17,040
when we saw all the kids and everybody worshiping together.

886
00:39:17,040 --> 00:39:18,960
We're all gonna worship together.

887
00:39:18,960 --> 00:39:21,280
You know, it's just kids worshiping and dancing

888
00:39:21,280 --> 00:39:23,220
and singing and families doing it together.

889
00:39:23,220 --> 00:39:25,320
That's how we fight our battles, right?

890
00:39:25,320 --> 00:39:27,080
Together as families, right?

891
00:39:27,080 --> 00:39:28,760
And even if it's not your physical family,

892
00:39:28,760 --> 00:39:30,600
it's your church family, right?

893
00:39:33,080 --> 00:39:35,560
Next thing they did, Nehemiah 4.23,

894
00:39:35,560 --> 00:39:38,440
it says, during this time, none of us,

895
00:39:38,440 --> 00:39:41,000
not I nor my relatives nor my servants

896
00:39:41,000 --> 00:39:43,800
nor the guards who were with me took off our clothes.

897
00:39:43,800 --> 00:39:46,600
We carried our weapons with us at all times,

898
00:39:46,600 --> 00:39:48,960
even when we went for water.

899
00:39:49,840 --> 00:39:51,480
They knew what their weapons were.

900
00:39:51,480 --> 00:39:54,640
I say we need to stay dressed in the armor of God, right?

901
00:39:54,640 --> 00:39:56,320
We have shoes of the gospel of peace.

902
00:39:56,320 --> 00:39:57,920
We have the sword of the spirit, right?

903
00:39:57,920 --> 00:39:59,520
We have the Bible, right?

904
00:39:59,520 --> 00:40:03,720
And we forget that we need to stay dressed in God's armor

905
00:40:03,720 --> 00:40:06,440
all the time, all the time.

906
00:40:06,440 --> 00:40:08,800
We have enemies, if we are living life on mission,

907
00:40:08,800 --> 00:40:10,840
we need to expect the attack, right?

908
00:40:10,840 --> 00:40:12,940
We need to expect that the enemy's gonna come at us

909
00:40:12,940 --> 00:40:13,780
and teach us lies.

910
00:40:13,780 --> 00:40:15,760
We need to know as husbands and wife

911
00:40:15,760 --> 00:40:17,640
that we're gonna start attacking each other

912
00:40:17,640 --> 00:40:19,320
because the enemy wants that, right?

913
00:40:19,320 --> 00:40:21,000
We know our kids are gonna start to attack us.

914
00:40:21,000 --> 00:40:22,960
We know all that stuff is gonna happen

915
00:40:22,960 --> 00:40:24,840
because God doesn't want us, I mean,

916
00:40:24,840 --> 00:40:27,880
God wants us united, but the enemy wants us divided, right?

917
00:40:27,880 --> 00:40:31,720
God wants us united, but the enemy wants us divided, right?

918
00:40:31,720 --> 00:40:33,880
And so when I was weak this week,

919
00:40:33,880 --> 00:40:36,960
when I was weak this week, that's kinda funny, anyway.

920
00:40:36,960 --> 00:40:39,640
When I was not feeling my strongest this week,

921
00:40:39,640 --> 00:40:41,600
I reached out to people in my community.

922
00:40:41,600 --> 00:40:43,120
I reached out to lots of you and said,

923
00:40:43,120 --> 00:40:44,960
please pray for me, I'm just struggling

924
00:40:44,960 --> 00:40:47,200
and I'm not doing well, and people came back

925
00:40:47,200 --> 00:40:49,040
with all these prayers and all this support.

926
00:40:49,040 --> 00:40:51,280
When you're not doing well, if you're struggling

927
00:40:51,280 --> 00:40:53,640
or if you're hurting, reach out to somebody

928
00:40:53,640 --> 00:40:54,460
in the community of faith.

929
00:40:54,460 --> 00:40:56,340
We'll pray for you, we'll support you.

930
00:40:56,340 --> 00:40:58,700
We'll get you ice cream, I don't know, whatever,

931
00:40:58,700 --> 00:41:00,920
unless you're lactose intolerant.

932
00:41:00,920 --> 00:41:04,200
And we'll get you coffee, we always have coffee, right?

933
00:41:04,200 --> 00:41:05,760
Sit down with coffee, you know?

934
00:41:05,760 --> 00:41:08,880
And even I reach out and I pray for people,

935
00:41:08,880 --> 00:41:10,320
people that are new to the community of faith,

936
00:41:10,320 --> 00:41:12,680
and I sent out a text this week, sent out an email,

937
00:41:12,680 --> 00:41:14,160
and I was praying for people,

938
00:41:14,160 --> 00:41:15,640
and when I emailed the one lady back,

939
00:41:15,640 --> 00:41:18,760
I said, you know what, could you please pray for me?

940
00:41:18,760 --> 00:41:20,060
I prayed for her and her family, I said,

941
00:41:20,060 --> 00:41:20,960
could you please pray for me?

942
00:41:20,960 --> 00:41:21,920
I'm supposed to speak this week

943
00:41:21,920 --> 00:41:24,960
and I'm just feeling under attack.

944
00:41:24,960 --> 00:41:27,480
And she did, she emailed me back this huge,

945
00:41:27,480 --> 00:41:29,120
but it's like we need, as leaders,

946
00:41:29,120 --> 00:41:30,320
we need to ask for that, right?

947
00:41:30,320 --> 00:41:32,520
Sometimes you're leading a group or you're on a mission

948
00:41:32,520 --> 00:41:34,560
and you feel like everybody's looking to you,

949
00:41:34,560 --> 00:41:36,740
but you need to get support from the people around you,

950
00:41:36,740 --> 00:41:38,500
right, you need to ask for help.

951
00:41:38,500 --> 00:41:41,560
Our marriage course this week, we had multiple couples

952
00:41:41,560 --> 00:41:43,000
that had been in the marriage course before

953
00:41:43,000 --> 00:41:45,480
come back and help and it was so nice

954
00:41:45,480 --> 00:41:48,280
to be able to serve together.

955
00:41:48,280 --> 00:41:51,040
It was so fun and it was not as exhausting

956
00:41:51,040 --> 00:41:52,800
and I even got to wear a dress and look cute,

957
00:41:52,800 --> 00:41:53,880
so that was good.

958
00:41:56,880 --> 00:41:58,840
And this is what Nehemiah did about the oppression.

959
00:41:58,840 --> 00:42:00,640
Nehemiah 5, 9 through 11, he said,

960
00:42:00,640 --> 00:42:04,020
then I press further, what you're doing is not right.

961
00:42:04,020 --> 00:42:06,760
Should you not walk in the fear of our God

962
00:42:06,760 --> 00:42:10,280
in order to avoid being mocked by the enemy nations,

963
00:42:10,280 --> 00:42:12,680
I myself, as well as my brothers and workers,

964
00:42:12,680 --> 00:42:15,440
have been lending the people money and grain.

965
00:42:15,440 --> 00:42:17,960
Now let us stop this business of charging interest.

966
00:42:17,960 --> 00:42:20,160
You must restore their fields, vineyards,

967
00:42:20,160 --> 00:42:22,760
olive groves and home to them this very day

968
00:42:22,760 --> 00:42:25,460
and repay the interest you charge when you lent them

969
00:42:25,460 --> 00:42:27,900
money, grain, new wine and olive oil.

970
00:42:27,900 --> 00:42:30,320
We can stand up for injustice

971
00:42:30,320 --> 00:42:31,800
because we are not fighting alone.

972
00:42:31,800 --> 00:42:33,760
God hates injustice and he is on our side.

973
00:42:33,760 --> 00:42:36,880
Nehemiah, what he had to do was he had to tell the people,

974
00:42:36,880 --> 00:42:38,680
you're not right here.

975
00:42:38,680 --> 00:42:40,800
Sometimes in our lives we have to stand up and say,

976
00:42:40,800 --> 00:42:42,920
this is not right.

977
00:42:42,920 --> 00:42:43,760
And what did he do?

978
00:42:43,760 --> 00:42:45,640
He stood up with the power of God,

979
00:42:45,640 --> 00:42:48,440
with the power of God behind him and the people changed.

980
00:42:48,440 --> 00:42:49,560
He said, you're right.

981
00:42:49,560 --> 00:42:52,040
We're not treating our brothers and sisters correctly.

982
00:42:52,040 --> 00:42:54,800
As parents, I do that to my kids all the time.

983
00:42:54,800 --> 00:42:56,600
Say, stop it, that's not kind.

984
00:42:56,600 --> 00:42:58,260
You don't say that to your brother.

985
00:42:58,260 --> 00:42:59,300
You don't say that to your sister.

986
00:42:59,300 --> 00:43:01,980
We are a family, we don't speak negative to each other.

987
00:43:01,980 --> 00:43:03,520
We encourage one another.

988
00:43:03,520 --> 00:43:05,720
You as a parent, you have the power in your home

989
00:43:05,720 --> 00:43:09,080
to tell your kids to be quiet and to be kind.

990
00:43:09,080 --> 00:43:11,360
Because if we're not kind to each other,

991
00:43:11,360 --> 00:43:12,540
we're not kind in our own house,

992
00:43:12,540 --> 00:43:15,000
how are we gonna be kind to the people around us?

993
00:43:15,000 --> 00:43:17,360
And so Nehemiah does this, he stands up

994
00:43:17,360 --> 00:43:18,880
and the people change.

995
00:43:20,120 --> 00:43:21,080
They change.

996
00:43:22,980 --> 00:43:25,420
And God was with him and God was on his side.

997
00:43:26,440 --> 00:43:28,460
All right, so that's all the oppression.

998
00:43:28,460 --> 00:43:32,600
So how do we counteract the oppression and build back?

999
00:43:33,880 --> 00:43:36,000
All right, I'm gonna go through this quickly, guys.

1000
00:43:36,000 --> 00:43:37,340
You ready?

1001
00:43:37,340 --> 00:43:40,200
Okay, pause.

1002
00:43:40,200 --> 00:43:44,640
Remember whose you are, whose you are.

1003
00:43:44,640 --> 00:43:47,720
Kev wanted me to change that in spell check today.

1004
00:43:47,720 --> 00:43:50,080
I am covered by the armor of love.

1005
00:43:50,080 --> 00:43:52,720
You are God's child.

1006
00:43:52,720 --> 00:43:54,720
You are not fighting alone.

1007
00:43:54,720 --> 00:43:56,380
You are not in this by yourself.

1008
00:43:56,380 --> 00:43:57,960
Remember whose you are.

1009
00:43:57,960 --> 00:44:00,600
Second Samuel 22 through four said,

1010
00:44:00,600 --> 00:44:03,560
the Lord is my rock and my fortress and my savior.

1011
00:44:03,560 --> 00:44:05,860
My God is my rock and whom I find protection.

1012
00:44:05,860 --> 00:44:08,400
He is my shield and the power that saves me.

1013
00:44:08,400 --> 00:44:09,920
He is my place of safety.

1014
00:44:09,920 --> 00:44:11,660
He is my refuge, my savior,

1015
00:44:11,660 --> 00:44:13,600
the one who saves me from violence.

1016
00:44:13,600 --> 00:44:16,040
I called on the Lord who is worthy of praise

1017
00:44:16,040 --> 00:44:18,820
and he saved me from my enemies.

1018
00:44:18,820 --> 00:44:19,960
I am God's child.

1019
00:44:19,960 --> 00:44:21,480
He will save me, he will protect me,

1020
00:44:21,480 --> 00:44:23,600
he will fight for me.

1021
00:44:23,600 --> 00:44:25,700
Romans eight, 35 through 39.

1022
00:44:25,700 --> 00:44:30,360
Can anything ever separate us from the love of God?

1023
00:44:32,160 --> 00:44:33,980
Does it mean he no longer loves us

1024
00:44:33,980 --> 00:44:36,640
if we have trouble or calamity or are persecuted

1025
00:44:36,640 --> 00:44:40,220
or hungry or destitute or in danger or threatened with death?

1026
00:44:41,400 --> 00:44:44,580
As scriptures say, for your sake we are killed every day.

1027
00:44:44,580 --> 00:44:46,440
We are being slaughtered like sheep.

1028
00:44:46,440 --> 00:44:48,440
No, no.

1029
00:44:49,360 --> 00:44:51,280
Despite all these things,

1030
00:44:51,280 --> 00:44:54,880
overwhelming victory is ours through Christ who loved us.

1031
00:44:54,880 --> 00:44:57,120
I am convinced that nothing

1032
00:44:57,120 --> 00:44:59,720
can ever separate us from God's love.

1033
00:44:59,720 --> 00:45:03,040
Neither death nor life nor angels nor demons

1034
00:45:03,040 --> 00:45:05,560
nor our fears for today or our worries about tomorrow,

1035
00:45:05,560 --> 00:45:07,300
not even the powers of hell

1036
00:45:07,300 --> 00:45:09,800
can separate us from God's love.

1037
00:45:09,800 --> 00:45:12,320
No power in the sky above or the earth below,

1038
00:45:12,320 --> 00:45:13,800
indeed nothing in all creation

1039
00:45:13,800 --> 00:45:17,200
will ever be able to separate you from the love of God

1040
00:45:17,200 --> 00:45:19,000
which is in Christ Jesus our Lord

1041
00:45:19,000 --> 00:45:22,000
and that is our promise, right?

1042
00:45:22,000 --> 00:45:24,720
Pause, remember whose you are.

1043
00:45:24,720 --> 00:45:28,240
Two, pray, remember who you are.

1044
00:45:28,240 --> 00:45:32,400
I am powerful because Christ lives in me.

1045
00:45:33,520 --> 00:45:35,400
I think we all, I'm borrowing this from somebody,

1046
00:45:35,400 --> 00:45:37,360
but I think we all need to get off Facebook

1047
00:45:37,360 --> 00:45:40,040
and get our face in the real book, right?

1048
00:45:40,040 --> 00:45:41,680
God's word, right?

1049
00:45:41,680 --> 00:45:44,080
And then we will know who we truly are, right?

1050
00:45:44,080 --> 00:45:46,440
Right, we need to get off Facebook.

1051
00:45:46,440 --> 00:45:48,720
We need to know who we truly are in Christ

1052
00:45:48,720 --> 00:45:50,840
and get our answers from his book, right?

1053
00:45:50,840 --> 00:45:53,920
Whenever I get on Facebook, I'm approaching 50 now,

1054
00:45:53,920 --> 00:45:55,720
all I get is like things saying

1055
00:45:55,720 --> 00:45:57,960
I'm gonna have saggy boobs.

1056
00:45:57,960 --> 00:45:59,120
My gut's gonna grow,

1057
00:45:59,120 --> 00:46:03,320
so I need to do these weird wall exercises, right?

1058
00:46:04,420 --> 00:46:06,320
I need to do all these crazy dinner hacks.

1059
00:46:06,320 --> 00:46:09,240
I don't know, it's just all this crazy stuff

1060
00:46:09,240 --> 00:46:10,920
that I don't need because I wanna believe

1061
00:46:10,920 --> 00:46:12,680
what God says about me.

1062
00:46:12,680 --> 00:46:14,760
I am powerful because Christ lives in me.

1063
00:46:14,760 --> 00:46:18,600
I am beautiful because I'm God's chosen creation.

1064
00:46:18,600 --> 00:46:20,960
I am not defined by the world's standard of beauty.

1065
00:46:20,960 --> 00:46:23,720
I work for God, I work for the kingdom.

1066
00:46:23,720 --> 00:46:25,600
I am powerful, I am loved,

1067
00:46:25,600 --> 00:46:27,400
and I'm whole and complete in him

1068
00:46:27,400 --> 00:46:30,320
because guess what, he is more than enough, right?

1069
00:46:31,640 --> 00:46:35,520
Second Corinthians 12, nine through 10 says,

1070
00:46:35,520 --> 00:46:37,840
my grace is all you need.

1071
00:46:37,840 --> 00:46:40,160
My power works best in weakness,

1072
00:46:40,160 --> 00:46:42,160
so now I'm glad to boast about my weaknesses

1073
00:46:42,160 --> 00:46:44,160
so that the power of Christ can work through me.

1074
00:46:44,160 --> 00:46:46,620
That is why I take pleasure in my weaknesses.

1075
00:46:46,620 --> 00:46:48,280
That's why I can tell you.

1076
00:46:48,280 --> 00:46:50,800
You know what, I had a rough week.

1077
00:46:50,800 --> 00:46:52,560
I was wearing my prison clothes this week.

1078
00:46:52,560 --> 00:46:57,560
Now I'm wearing my overalls, right?

1079
00:46:58,800 --> 00:47:02,640
For when I am weak, he is strong, right?

1080
00:47:02,640 --> 00:47:04,160
When I am weak, he is strong.

1081
00:47:04,160 --> 00:47:07,840
When I am humble and I let my pride get out of the way,

1082
00:47:07,840 --> 00:47:11,600
right, there's strength in humility, people.

1083
00:47:11,600 --> 00:47:14,440
Isaiah 40, 28 through 31 says,

1084
00:47:14,440 --> 00:47:17,920
the Lord is the everlasting God, the creator of the earth.

1085
00:47:17,920 --> 00:47:21,040
He never grows weak or weary.

1086
00:47:21,040 --> 00:47:23,600
No one can measure the depths of his understanding.

1087
00:47:23,600 --> 00:47:26,800
He gives power to the weak and strength to the powerless.

1088
00:47:26,800 --> 00:47:29,240
Even youths will become weak and tired

1089
00:47:29,240 --> 00:47:31,840
and young men will fall in exhaustion,

1090
00:47:31,840 --> 00:47:35,640
but those who trust in the Lord will find new strength.

1091
00:47:35,640 --> 00:47:37,840
They will soar on wings like eagles.

1092
00:47:37,840 --> 00:47:39,560
They will run and not grow weary.

1093
00:47:39,560 --> 00:47:41,480
They will walk and not faint.

1094
00:47:41,480 --> 00:47:43,080
That's what the word tells me.

1095
00:47:43,920 --> 00:47:48,040
That's who I am in Jesus because he lives in me.

1096
00:47:48,960 --> 00:47:50,540
God is good and he lives in me.

1097
00:47:50,540 --> 00:47:52,080
Therefore, I am good.

1098
00:47:54,400 --> 00:47:56,520
Point three, proceed.

1099
00:47:56,520 --> 00:47:59,200
Whatever God's called you to, pause, pray,

1100
00:47:59,200 --> 00:48:00,920
and then you might have to adjust,

1101
00:48:00,920 --> 00:48:02,560
like the mission to control, right?

1102
00:48:02,560 --> 00:48:03,380
You might have to adjust.

1103
00:48:03,380 --> 00:48:05,320
You might have to change plans a little, right?

1104
00:48:05,320 --> 00:48:08,720
But then you proceed on your calling, on your mission.

1105
00:48:08,720 --> 00:48:10,680
Remember, you're in a community of faith.

1106
00:48:10,680 --> 00:48:12,480
You have others around you.

1107
00:48:12,480 --> 00:48:15,920
We will not let persecution persuade us to fear.

1108
00:48:15,920 --> 00:48:17,740
Just because you're persecuted,

1109
00:48:17,740 --> 00:48:21,160
you will not let persecution persuade you to fear, right?

1110
00:48:21,160 --> 00:48:23,680
Galatians 6, 10 says, therefore,

1111
00:48:23,680 --> 00:48:27,080
as we have the opportunity to let us do good to all people,

1112
00:48:27,080 --> 00:48:30,220
especially those who belong to the family of believers,

1113
00:48:30,220 --> 00:48:32,240
we are called as the family of believers

1114
00:48:32,240 --> 00:48:36,060
to support and encourage and care for each other.

1115
00:48:36,060 --> 00:48:39,820
Together, let's get on mission together, people, right?

1116
00:48:39,820 --> 00:48:43,120
Romans 15, 55 says, may the God,

1117
00:48:43,120 --> 00:48:44,640
actually, Romans 15, 55 says,

1118
00:48:44,640 --> 00:48:47,320
may the God who gives endurance and encouragement

1119
00:48:47,320 --> 00:48:49,400
give you the same attitude and mind

1120
00:48:49,400 --> 00:48:53,120
towards each other that Christ Jesus had,

1121
00:48:53,120 --> 00:48:55,240
so that with one mind and one voice,

1122
00:48:55,240 --> 00:49:00,240
you may glorify God, the Father of our Lord, Jesus Christ.

1123
00:49:00,240 --> 00:49:01,800
Amen, amen.

1124
00:49:01,800 --> 00:49:03,400
So those are the three easy steps

1125
00:49:03,400 --> 00:49:05,400
when you're becoming under attack.

1126
00:49:05,400 --> 00:49:08,880
But I want you guys, one other thing I do is I worship.

1127
00:49:10,040 --> 00:49:13,500
I worship, and I wonder if you guys will just stand

1128
00:49:13,500 --> 00:49:15,740
with me today and just worship with me.

1129
00:49:15,740 --> 00:49:19,320
We're just gonna allow the Holy Spirit to come

1130
00:49:21,520 --> 00:49:23,280
and fill us.

1131
00:49:23,280 --> 00:49:26,760
If you've never experienced the presence of God,

1132
00:49:26,760 --> 00:49:29,120
just allow him, as you're singing this right now,

1133
00:49:29,120 --> 00:49:32,080
just allow, there's freedom here.

1134
00:49:32,080 --> 00:49:34,600
There's freedom, okay?

1135
00:49:36,240 --> 00:49:37,080
And I'm gonna sing this,

1136
00:49:37,080 --> 00:49:38,880
and you guys are gonna help me, right?

1137
00:49:39,880 --> 00:49:42,760
It may look like I'm surrounded,

1138
00:49:42,760 --> 00:49:45,840
but I'm surrounded by you.

1139
00:49:46,780 --> 00:49:49,480
It may look like I'm surrounded,

1140
00:49:49,480 --> 00:49:51,960
but I'm surrounded by you.

1141
00:49:53,280 --> 00:49:56,640
It may look like I'm surrounded,

1142
00:49:56,640 --> 00:49:59,380
but I'm surrounded by you.

1143
00:49:59,380 --> 00:50:02,360
This is how I fight my battles.

1144
00:50:03,360 --> 00:50:06,560
This is how I fight my battles.

1145
00:50:06,560 --> 00:50:10,040
This is how I fight my battles.

1146
00:50:10,040 --> 00:50:13,160
This is how I fight my battles.

1147
00:50:13,160 --> 00:50:15,880
It may look like I'm surrounded,

1148
00:50:15,880 --> 00:50:18,480
but I'm surrounded by you.

1149
00:50:18,480 --> 00:50:19,800
Come Holy Spirit.

1150
00:50:19,800 --> 00:50:22,720
It may look like I'm surrounded,

1151
00:50:22,720 --> 00:50:25,520
but I'm surrounded by you.

1152
00:50:25,520 --> 00:50:26,840
More God.

1153
00:50:26,840 --> 00:50:29,680
It may look like I'm surrounded,

1154
00:50:29,680 --> 00:50:32,640
but I'm surrounded by you.

1155
00:50:32,640 --> 00:50:35,920
This is how I fight my battles.

1156
00:50:35,920 --> 00:50:37,080
Thank you, Jesus.

1157
00:50:37,080 --> 00:50:38,720
I'm fighting my battles.

1158
00:50:38,720 --> 00:50:40,280
That's right, that's right.

1159
00:50:40,280 --> 00:50:42,240
This is how I fight my battles.

1160
00:50:42,240 --> 00:50:43,560
Thank you, Jesus.

1161
00:50:43,560 --> 00:50:45,760
This is how I fight my battles.

1162
00:50:45,760 --> 00:50:46,880
And as we were singing that,

1163
00:50:46,880 --> 00:50:49,240
I just saw a picture of you guys,

1164
00:50:49,240 --> 00:50:52,240
people looking and just seeing that they're self-surrounded,

1165
00:50:52,240 --> 00:50:55,760
but then seeing that we're up on the hill, right?

1166
00:50:55,760 --> 00:50:56,880
And God's fighting for us.

1167
00:50:56,880 --> 00:50:58,840
We have a whole army behind us.

1168
00:50:58,840 --> 00:50:59,680
We're not alone.

1169
00:50:59,680 --> 00:51:02,200
If you turn around and you look at your back,

1170
00:51:02,200 --> 00:51:04,840
God's got your back, but we've got your back.

1171
00:51:04,840 --> 00:51:08,400
So anybody that has experienced opposition this week,

1172
00:51:08,400 --> 00:51:10,400
we've got your back.

1173
00:51:10,400 --> 00:51:11,840
God's got your back.

1174
00:51:13,080 --> 00:51:15,080
There's no impossible.

1175
00:51:16,880 --> 00:51:21,880
I believe that you are working now.

1176
00:51:22,000 --> 00:51:23,000
Pour it out.

1177
00:51:23,000 --> 00:51:42,000
Oh, pour it out.