Y 'all, it is a Thursday. It is July the 30th.
And everything that could go wrong has gone wrong.
I can't find my microphones, so I don't even
know if you can hear me. Probably hear the fan
in the background. I know I brought them home
from Irvin. I just don't know which bag I put
them in. And we were cutting it close getting
home, so I apologize. Can you hear me all right?
I don't know if you can or not. Let me get situated.
Just needed a minute. Welcome to the porch. You're
a little tall. Let's put you down a little bit.
Hey there, porch. I'm mighty glad that y 'all
are here tonight. I truly am. Go ahead and grab
your Bible and something to write with and your
favorite drink and, you know, maybe light yourself
a cigarette or a candle. You know, if that's
your thing. Pet the dog. Shoo the chicken off
the porch. Again. And let's just settle in together.
If you're brand new to the porch, welcome home.
We're glad you're here. Around here, we don't
pretend like we have life figured out. We just
don't. You could probably tell that by looking
at me. We don't clean ourselves up and pretend
in front of God. We don't try to put on airs.
We bring Him the mess. We bring Him the tears.
We bring Him the questions. We bring Him the
victories and the failures. That's what we do.
And we just come as we are. We come as we are
because that's, I believe, exactly like Jesus
likes it. So, that's what I think. So, if you're
brand new, welcome. Let's have a word of prayer
before we get started tonight. You want to? Good
day, Lord. Heavenly Father, we thank you for
another day. You didn't have to give us not another
day, but you did. And we're thankful for it.
Thank you for every single person you've gathered
on this porch tonight. Lord, you know every single
burden before we even speak it. You know the
ones that are really grieving. The ones who are
lonely. The ones who are angry. The ones who
are exhausted, Lord. The ones who are wondering
if you still see us. Tonight, please quiet every
voice except for yours and let your word do what
only your word can do. If we need convicting,
Lord, let us be convicted. If we need comforting,
Lord, please let us be comforted. If we need
to be corrected, Lord, just please let us be
corrected and remind us that no matter what battle
we're facing, you've never lost one. Bless the
reading of this word tonight, Lord. Let me be
an instrument for your voice. Let me say and
do the right things and bring someone closer
to you. In Jesus name I pray. Amen. Well hello
friends. Can I just be real honest with y 'all?
I mean I always have been but I almost didn't
do a Bible study tonight. Not because I didn't
have something to say. Because you know I always
have something to say. And not because I didn't
have something to teach. Because the Bible always
has something for us to learn. But because I
was pretty sure I didn't have nothing left. Have
you ever had one of those days where your body
isn't what's tired but your soul is? That's where
I've been this week. That's what I've been doing
today. I've cried today. I've prayed today. I've
questioned things today. And I realized something
while I was sitting with the Lord this afternoon.
Sometimes the enemy doesn't attack with catastrophe.
Sometimes he just keeps poking the bruise. He
knows exactly where you're tender. Maybe you've
been there. Somebody says one sentence and it
lives in your head for three days. Somebody questions
your motives and suddenly you're questioning
them too. Somebody doesn't believe in what God's
doing in your life. And before long, you're wondering
if you imagined the whole thing. I'm going to
say this very carefully. This is not a Bible
study about blaming anybody. Although we'll talk
about honoring your parents this evening, this
is not about my parents. I love my parents with
all my heart. They raised me in church. They
taught me about God. They taught me about Jesus.
They taught me to love God's Word. And for that,
I will be grateful until the day I get to go
home to him. We don't see eye to eye on everything.
And that's okay. I honor them. I respect them.
But today reminded me that sometimes the hardest
spiritual battles aren't with strangers. Sometimes
they're with the people that we love. Not because
they're evil. They're not evil. And not because
they're our enemies. Because they're not. It's
because sincere people can sincerely disagree.
And when the people whose approval you've wanted
your whole life don't understand something God
is doing in you, it hurts. Some of y 'all know
exactly what I'm talking about. Maybe it's your
husband. Maybe it's your wife. Maybe it's your
kids. Maybe it's your mama. Maybe it's your daddy.
Maybe it's somebody at work. Maybe it's somebody
at church. Maybe it's the folks who know your
past and can imagine God using somebody like
you. Can I tell you something? You're in a real
good company. Because nearly every single person
that God ever used was somebody who didn't understand
what they were doing. Tonight isn't about proving
ourselves right. It's about learning how to keep
our hearts soft. And our minds clear. And our
eyes fixed on Jesus. Even when the rest of the
world gets really, really loud. I've been studying
in Isaiah this week. So that's what we're going
to do together. Let's all go to Isaiah chapter
26. Look what I did. Now I can find stuff quicker.
Look right there he is. I found him. Isaiah 26
is where we're starting tonight. Alright. We're
going to camp out here for just a little bit,
okay? Isaiah is writing during one of the most
unstable periods in Judah's entire history. Just
to give you a little context. The Assyrian Empire
is threatening literally every single nation
around them right now. Where we are in this book.
If you've ever read Isaiah. Isaiah, 66 chapters
long. Just like the book, how many books are
in the Bible? 66 chapters. It was written between
740 and about 680 BC. So, the kingdom of Judah
and Israel. Or who he's talking to with his audience.
It's also prophetic because we know Isaiah was
a prophet. But just so you see what's going on.
The Assyrian Empire is threatening to just disrupt
all the nations around them. And people are afraid.
And the climate's very unstable. And leaders
are making super questionable decisions. Does
that sound familiar? Under the advice of counsel.
Anyway. So. Isaiah keeps pointing God's people
back to one simple truth. Your peace is not found
in your circumstances. It's found in God. So,
let's read together, starting with verse 1. I
am in the Message Bible, Contemporary English
Version. We are in Isaiah 26. I'm going to read
to you. At that time, this song will be sung
in the country of Judah. We have a strong city,
salvation city, built and fortified with salvation.
Throw wide the gates, so good and true people
can enter. People with their minds set on you,
you keep completely whole, steady on their feet,
because they keep at it and don't quit. Depend
on God and keep at it, because in the Lord God
you have a sure thing. Those who lived high and
mighty will be knocked off their high horse.
He used the city built on a hill as field for
the marshes. All the exploited and outcasted
peoples build their lives on the reclaimed land.
The path of the right living people is level.
The leveler evens the road for the right living.
We're in no hurry, God. We're content to linger
in the path signposted with your decisions. Who
you are and what you've done are all we'll ever
want. Through the night, my soul longs for you.
Deep from within me, my spirit reaches out to
you. When your decisions are on public display,
everyone learns how to live right. If the wicked
are shown grace, they don't seem to get it. In
the land of right living, they persist in wrong
living, blind to the splendor of God. You hold
your hand up high, God, but they don't see it.
Open their eyes to what you do, to see your zealous
love for your people. Shame them. Light a fire
under them. Get the attention of these enemies
of yours. God, order a peaceful and whole life
for us because everything we've done, you've
done for us. Oh God, our God, we've had other
masters try to rule us. We're the only master
we've ever known. The dead don't talk. Ghosts
don't walk. Because you've said, enough. That's
all for you. and wiped them from the books. But
the living you make larger than life. The more
life you give, the more glory you display and
stretch the borders to accommodate more living.
Oh God, they begged you for help when they were
in trouble. When your discipline was so heavy,
they could barely whisper a prayer. Like a woman
having a baby, writhing in distress, screaming
her pain as the baby is being born. That's how
we were because of you, oh God. We were pregnant
full term. We writhed in labor, but bore no baby.
We gave birth to wind, and nothing came of our
labor. We produced nothing living. We couldn't
save the world. But friends, your dead will live.
Your corpses will get to their feet. All you
dead and buried, wake up! Sing! Your due is morning
due, catching the first rays of the sun, and
the earth is bursting with life, giving birth
to the dead. Come, my people. Go home and shut
yourselves in. Go into seclusion for a while
until the punishing wrath has passed because
God is sure to come from his place to punish
the wrong of the people of the earth. Earth itself
will point out the bloodstains. It will show
where the murdered have been hidden away. Verse
3. Listen to this. I keep a King James Version
near me too because I know we all have different
versions. versions that we like to read but in
the king james in 26 3 it says thou will keep
him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on
thee because he trusted in thee people with their
minds set on you lord you keep completely whole
and steady on their feet because they keep at
it and they don't quit I love that phrase, perfect
peace. In Hebrew, Isaiah repeats the same word
twice. It's literally peace, peace in Hebrew.
So when the Hebrew writers wanted to emphasize
something, they usually repeated it. Holy of
holies, king of kings, lord of lords, peace,
peace. Not because the world got quiet. Because
God is still faithful. I want you to notice something
else here. Isaiah doesn't say God will keep everybody
in perfect peace. No, no, no, no, no. There's
a condition. There's a condition right here.
Whose mind is stayed on thee. Stayed. That means
fixed. Established. Leaning against. Anchored
in. Okay? Are you listening? Do you know why
that's important? Because our minds have a real
bad habit of wandering. We replay conversations.
We imagine arguments. We rehearse tomorrow's
disasters. You ever do that on the way to work?
And Stephanie, your Bible can't be that far off
of mine. It was written by the same God. Just
in a different translation. We can still remember
what somebody said in 1998. I know I can. I hate
it about myself. I hate having an eidetic memory.
I can remember the weirdest stuff forever. And
I don't know why. We carry words that people
spoke over us from 20 years ago. The enemy doesn't
even have to tell you lies. Do you understand
this? Sometimes he just hits replay. And before
long, we're exhausted. We're stuck in Groundhog
Day living the same thing over and over and over
again, and we're just exhausted. Not because
we've been digging ditches, but because we're
carrying things that God never asked us to carry.
I'm going to have to get me a Kleenex. One thing
I've learned, the devil doesn't always need your
obedience. Sometimes he's just satisfied with
a little bit of your attention. If he can keep
you focused on fear, if he can keep your attention
there, you'll miss God's promises every time.
If he can keep your attention on criticism, you'll
forget you're calling. If he can keep your attention
on one person's opinion, you'll stop listening
for God's voice. How many of us have spent hours
worrying about a conversation that lasted 30
seconds? Some of y 'all have argued with somebody
in the shower that wasn't even there. Or in the
car, or in the bedroom, or out in the yard. Just
arguing. And I would have told him. Don't look
at your spouse right now. Don't do it. You know
it's true. You've done it. We'll all rehearse
what we should have said. We'll imagine what
they're thinking about us. We'll replay every
single facial expression, every single minute
of it, every single outburst. And by bedtime,
we have fought in an imaginary battle that has
never happened. The enemy is... perfectly happy
to let us just completely exhaust ourselves.
Now, let's switch gears a little bit. Flip over
to John chapter 15 with me. That's in the New
Testament. John chapter 15. There's a fan behind
me and it's making it hard to turn my pages.
John 15. I'm going to pick up here in verse 18.
Okay? John 15, 18. That's where we're going to
start. If you find the godless world is hating
you, remember, it got to start hating me. If
you lived on the world's terms, the world would
love you as one of their own. But since I picked
you to live on God's terms and no longer on the
world's terms, the world is going to hate you.
When this happens, remember this. Servants don't
get better treatment than their masters. If they
beat on me, they will certainly beat on you.
If they did what I told them, they will do what
you tell them. They're going to do all these
things to you because of the way they treated
me. Because they don't know the one who sent
me. If I hadn't come and told them all this in
plain language, it wouldn't be so bad. As it
is, they have no excuse. Hate me. Hate my father.
It's all the same. If I hadn't done what I have
done among them, works no one has ever done,
they wouldn't be to blame. But they saw the God
signs and hated me anyway. Both me and my father.
Interesting. They have verified the truth of
their own scriptures where it is written they
hated me for no good reason. When the friend
I plan to send you from the Father comes, the
spirit of truth issuing from the Father, he will
confirm everything about me. You too, from your
side, must give your confirmation and your confirming
evidence since you are in this with me from the
beginning. If you're following Jesus because
you think everybody's going to applaud you, Jesus
has some bad news here. In the King James Version,
he says, If the world hate you, you know that
it hated me before it hated you. Just let that
settle a second. If they criticized Jesus, why
are we surprised that they criticize us? Jesus
healed blind people, fed hungry people, raised
dead people, loved sinners, spoke truth, never
sinned, not once. And they still nailed him to
a cross. So maybe criticism isn't always evidence
that you're doing something wrong. Sometimes
it's evidence that you're following somebody
that the world has always resisted. Think about
the people that God used. I bet Noah looked real
stupid building an ark before anybody had ever
seen a flood. Abraham left everything he knew
just because God said, go. Go now. Moses had
people complain almost every single day for 40
years in the wilderness. David was hunted by
a king he had faithfully served. Jeremiah was
mocked. Paul was beaten. The early church was
scattered. And Jesus, Jesus was called a glutton
by some, demon -possessed by others, and a blasphemer,
a blasphemer by religious leaders. Faithfulness
will not guarantee applause. Those things don't
go together like hand and glove. Sometimes it
guarantees opposition. And if you don't expect
that, every criticism will make you wonder if
you've missed God. Sometimes the criticism is
simply the cost of following God. Before we go
any further tonight, I want to tell you something
that the Lord has been reminding me of all day.
The people who hurt us ain't always your enemy.
Some of y 'all have spent years fighting people
when all along there was another battle happening
underneath it the whole time. Let's go to Ephesians
6 real quick while I'm thinking about it. It's
also in the New Testament. Just flip over to
Ephesians. Let's look at Ephesians. I'm going
to get into chapter 6, so we'll go over there.
Last chapter of the book. Alright, if you're
in Ephesians 6, let us begin. Children, do what
your parents tell you. This is only right. Honor
your father and mother is the first commandment
that has a promise attached to it. Namely, so
you will live well and have a long life. Fathers,
don't frustrate your children with no -win scenarios.
Take them by the hand and lead them in the way
of the Master. Servants, respectfully obey your
earthly masters, but always with an eye to obeying
the real Master, Christ. Don't just do what you
have to do to get by, but work heartily as Christ's
servants doing what God wants you to do. And
work with a smile on your face. Always keep it
in mind that no matter who happens to be giving
the orders, you're really serving God. Good work
will get you good pay from the master regardless
of whether you are a slave or free. Masters,
it's the same with you. No abuse, please, and
no threats. You and your servants are both under
the same master in heaven. He makes no distinction
between you and them. God is strong and he wants
you strong. So take everything the master has
set out for you. Well made weapons of the best
materials and put them to you so you'll be able
to stand up to everything the devil throws your
way. This is no weekend war that we'll walk away
from and forget about in a couple of hours. This
is for keeps. A life or death fight to the finished
against the devil and all of his angels. Be prepared.
You're up against far more than you can handle
on your own. Take all the help you can get. Every
weapon God has issued so that when it's all over
but the shouting, you'll still be on your feet.
Truth, righteousness, peace, faith, and salvation
are more than words. Learn how to apply them.
You'll need them throughout your life. God's
word is an indispensable weapon. In the same
way prayer is essential in this ongoing warfare,
pray hard and long. Paul wrote this letter while
he was imprisoned in Rome. We went over this
a couple weeks ago in our Bible study. He's chained
to a Roman guard. He has every single earthly
reason to be bitter as a June apple. He could
have spent chapter after chapter talking about
the emperor and how mean he is and how he wants
to get out of prison. He can't believe that this
is happening to him and all the poor men and
corrupt government and unfair treatment and all
the people who lied about it. Instead, Paul uses
this moment, listen to what he says. For we wrestle
not against flesh and blood, but against principalities,
against powers, against the rulers of the darkness
of this world, against spiritual weakness in
high places. This is no weekend war that we'll
walk away from and forget about in a couple of
hours. This is for kings. Notice what Paul says.
Before he tells us who we're fighting, he tells
us what we're not fighting. We're not fighting
flesh. We're not fighting blood. We're not fighting
people. That difficult co -worker, that ain't
your enemy. That family member who doesn't understand
your relationship with God and wants to point
it out to you all the time, not your enemy. The
person gossiping about you down at the beauty
shop, not your enemy. The stranger leaving ugly
comments on your Facebook all the time, believe
it or not, not your enemy. Now, that don't excuse
sinful and terrible behavior. It doesn't. But
people can absolutely choose to sin against us.
That's a given. However, Satan loves it when
we confuse the tool with the carpenter. He loves
it when Christians spend all their time fighting
among each other instead of resisting him. Can
I tell you one of the oldest tricks in the book?
Division. You can't do long division without
a denominator. That's where I think we get denominations
from. It's just a long division of the church.
Division. If he can't destroy the body of Christ,
he'll settle for distracting it. He'll whisper
things like, they're all against you. You're
gonna need to defend yourself. You better get
even. You better make sure everybody knows you're
right. Before long, we've spent six months fighting
somebody and haven't prayed in six days. The
enemy is thrilled. Let me ask you a fun question.
You ever have anybody stay at your house longer
than they were supposed to? Don't, you know.
Don't point at anybody. Don't look at your mother
-in -law. Don't look at your spouse. Don't do
that. I've learned something wonderful over the
years. Guests are amazing. I love having house
guests. I love having people in this house. I
love it bursting at the seams. And we can eat
as a cheese ball and have a glass of sweet tea
and sit on the porch and visit. I absolutely
love it. Guests are wonderful. Until they start
acting like they own the place. And that's kind
of exactly what the enemy is doing with our minds.
That thought comes in. A criticism. A fear. A
memory. A lie. And instead of us showing it the
door like we're supposed to, we'll make it coffee.
We'll sit it down. We'll let it stay. We'll let
that moment replay and replay and replay. And
we decorate a room for it. We feed it every day.
Until one day we wonder why we have no peace.
porch. The devil is a terrible house guest. Stop
letting him rent space in your head. Paul even
says in 2 Corinthians 10 5, casting down imaginations
and every high thing that exalted itself against
the knowledge of God and bringing into captivity
every thought to the obedience of Christ. Every
thought, not some. Every. Paul doesn't say believe
every thought. He says arrest it. Question it.
Bring it before Jesus. Just because you think
something don't mean it's true. Now let's look
at one of my favorite stories in all of scripture
real quick. I know we're jumping around. Just
take notes. Okay, we're going to go to 1 Kings
real quick. 1 Kings chapter 19 is one of my favorite
stories in the entire Bible. And I have preached
on it and talked about it and lived it a lot.
There you are. 1 Kings was hiding. We're going
to 1 Kings 19. And if you know where we are,
then get comfortable because I love this story.
In 1 Kings 19, it says, Ahab reported to Jezebel
everything that Elijah had done. Remember, Elijah
had just called down fire from heaven at Mount
Carmel and proved to everybody else that his
God was the real God. Our God is the real God
and everybody else is just sitting ducks. So
Ahab reported to Jezebel everything that Elijah
had done, including the massacre of the prophets.
Jezebel immediately sent a messenger to Elijah
with her threat, The gods will get you for this,
and I'll get even with you. By the time tomorrow,
you'll be as dead as any one of those prophets.
When Elijah saw how bad things were, he ran for
dear life to Beersheba, far in the south of Judah.
He left his young servant there and then went
on into the desert for another day's journey.
He came to a lone brim bush and collapsed in
its shade, wanting in the worst way. To be done
with it all and to just die. Enough of this,
God. Take my life. I'm ready to join my ancestors
in the grave. Elijah said. Exhausted, he fell
asleep underneath a broom bush. And suddenly
an angel shook him awake and said, Get up and
eat! He looked around and to his surprise, right
by his head was a loaf of bread baked on some
coals and a jug of water. He ate and went back
to sleep. An angel of God came back, shook him
awake again and said, get up and eat some more
because you've got a long trip ahead of you.
So we know that Elijah was at Mount Carmel. Fire
falls from heaven. The prophets of Baal are defeated.
God is the one true God. It's one of the greatest
miracles in the Old Testament, by the way. Tried
to throw a split in the sand, build a boat. If
anybody should have felt strong in that moment,
it should have been Elijah. But here's something
I've learned. Sometimes the greatest attacks
come right after the greatest victories. I think
you know what I mean. You've had an incredible
week. You leave a revival. You finally beat that
addiction. You see God answer a prayer. And then
Monday shows up. And you're wondering if God
even knows your name. That's Elijah. Jezebel
sent one message. Just one. Basically, in essence,
she said, you're next. The same prophet who stood
fearless on Mount Carmel before hundreds of false
prophets ran to the wilderness because of one
threat. One sentence, one message, one voice.
That's all it took for him to sit underneath
a juniper tree, a broom bush, and say, it is
enough now, oh Lord, take away my life. How many
of you have said that to God? I have. I can't
tell you the times that I've said, I've had enough.
I just want to go home. I can't do it anymore.
I can't do one more thing. So tired and I'm not
getting anywhere. You didn't want to die. You
just didn't know how to keep carrying everything.
Some of y 'all came onto this porch not feeling
just like Elijah. I do. You love Jesus. You follow
God, but you're exhausted. You want to know what
the cool part is? God doesn't show up with a
point and wagon finger. What have you done? Don't
do that. He sends an angel. He doesn't ask Elijah,
why don't you have more faith? The angel says,
get up and eat. Get up and eat. The first miracle
wasn't a sermon. It was lunch. Then Elijah sleeps.
Then he eats again. And then he rests again.
I'll tell you something that's changed my life,
friends. Sometimes what we call spiritual failure
is just human exhaustion. Now, please don't misunderstand
me. Sin is sin. Okay? I'm guilty of it. You're
guilty of it. None of us are perfect. Far from
it. We all sin and fall short of the glory of
God. But not every weary heart is a rebellious
heart. Sometimes you've just been carrying responsibilities
that God never asked you to carry. Sometimes
you're trying to fix people that only God can
fix. Sometimes you're trying to earn approval
that only God can give you. And you're worn plump.
God knows the difference though. Did you know
that? I have a bug in my bra. Sorry. God knows
the difference. After Elijah rests for a little
bit, moving on in here for a minute, I'm going
to tell you what happens. God brings him to Mount
Horeb. Do y 'all remember what happened at Mount
Horeb? There was a mighty wind, but God wasn't
in the wind. And then there was a big, huge earthquake.
God wasn't in the earthquake. And then there
was a fire. God wasn't in the fire. Then came
a still, small voice. 1 Kings 19 .12, if you
want to highlight that one, I recommend it. A
still, small voice. A quiet whisper. The enemy
usually shouts. God usually whispers. Fear screams.
Grace speaks softly. Pride demands. Wisdom invites.
That's why we have to get quiet. In order to
hear him. Some of us have so much noise in our
lives. That you can't even hear the shepherds
voice anymore. Social media. News. Arguments.
Podcasts. Notifications. Everybody's got an opinion.
Everybody wants your attention. And somewhere.
In all of that noise. God is still talking. Not
because he's weak. Because he's inviting. He
don't have to holler. One more little stop in
Psalms on this section. In Psalms 42, I love
this. In 42, 11, he says, Why art thou cast down,
O my soul? Hope thou in God. David's talking
to himself. David's preaching to himself in that
moment in Psalms. Did you notice that? He starts
talking to David. David is talking to David.
Sometimes you have to preach to yourself before
you can preach to anybody else. Sometimes you
have to look in the mirror and you have to say,
God is still in charge. He is still faithful.
His promises haven't changed. My feelings are
real, but they are not my master. You don't deny
your emotions. You don't pretend they don't exist.
That's called denial. It all bottles up and it
comes out like a pressure cooker. It's terrible.
You bring them to the foot. Of the cross. You
bring them to the feet of Jesus. And let his
truth speak louder. That's what David did. That's
what Elijah did. That's what we're learning tonight.
Because keeping your faith. Isn't pretending
life don't hurt. It's choosing to believe. That
God is still good. Even while it does. Last chapter.
Let's go to this one. Let's go to Nehemiah. End
on a good note. Let's go to Nehemiah. Ezra, Nehemiah.
Okay. Had to sing. Sorry. Nehemiah. Chapter 6.
I know you probably not even thought about Nehemiah
in a while. It's not something that you hear
often. There's some kids I know that are named
Nehemiah. I think. Do I know any Nehemiahs? I
knew a Jeremiah once. Anyway. Nehemiah chapter
6. Get the picture real quick. Jerusalem's been
destroyed. Walls are broken down. The gates have
been burned by fire. For nearly a century, for
a hundred years, God's people have looked over
at those broken walls as a reminder of loss and
defeat. And then God raises up a man named Nehemiah.
Let's read about him real quick in chapter 6.
When Sambalot, Tobiah, Geshem, the Arab, and
the rest of our enemies heard that I had rebuilt
the wall and that there were no more breaks in
it, even though I hadn't yet installed the gates,
Sambalot and Geshem sent this message. Come and
meet with us at Kephraim in the Valley of Ono.
I knew they were scheming to hurt me, so I sent
messengers back with this. I'm doing a great
work. I can't come down. Why should the work
come to a standstill just so I can come down
to see you? Four times they sent this message
and four times I gave them my answer. The fifth
time, same messenger, same message. Sambalat
sent an unsealed letter with this message. The
word is out among the nations and Geshem says
it's true that you and the Jews are planning
to rebel. That's why you're rebuilding the wall.
The word is that you want a king and that you
have appointed prophets to announce in Jerusalem
there's a king in Judah. The king is going to
be told all this. Don't you think we should sit
down and have a talk? I sent him back this. There's
nothing to what you're saying. You've made it
all up. They were trying to intimidate us into
quitting. They thought they'll give up and they're
never finishing. I prayed. Give me strength.
God raises up Nehemiah. He's not a priest. He's
not a prophet. He's not a king. He's a cupbearer.
A regular man with an extraordinary burden. But
isn't that just like God? He doesn't always call
the people that everybody expects. Sometimes
he puts a burden in the heart of an ordinary
person and says, here, you build it. Now, here's
what happens. I really love this. The minute
that Nehemiah starts rebuilding the wall, the
criticism starts. Have y 'all ever noticed that?
Nobody ever wants to bother you while you're
standing still. It's the moment you decide to
obey God. That very moment, somebody suddenly
has an opinion about it. Semblot and Tobiah laughed
at him, mocked him, threatened him, spread rumors,
questioned his motives. Does that sound really
familiar to anybody else? Finally, they sent
him word and they said, come down here. Let's
have us a meeting. That sounds pretty reasonable
of a request, actually. But Nehemiah knew that
something was up. It wasn't a meeting. It was
a distraction. And listen to his answer here
in 6 -3. 6 -3 blows my mind right here. I am
doing a great work. I cannot come down. Porch,
that might be the most freeing sentence in the
entire Bible. I can't come down. I don't have
time to defend myself to everybody. I don't have
time to address every rumor. I don't have time
to chase every critic. God has called me to build.
So I'm staying on the wall. And I'm going to
tell you something. Some of us spend so much
time defending our calling that we never get
to fulfill it. If God called you to build your
marriage, stay on the wall. If he called you
to raise those babies, stay on the wall. If he
called you to start this ministry, stay on the
wall. If he called you to forgive, stay on the
wall. If he called you to write that book, stay
on the wall. Don't come down every time somebody
whistles. Not every invitation deserves your
attention. Not every criticism deserves your
response. Not every battle deserves your energy.
Think about Jesus. If anyone ever lived a perfect
life, it was Jesus. It was Jesus. It says right
here, He was blameless without sin. He was the
perfect Son of God, God incarnate. He had no
sin. Yet they still accused him of breaking the
Sabbath. Eating with sinners. Having a demon.
Being a blasphemer. Can you imagine criticizing
the Son of God? And they did. And here's something
I noticed years ago. Jesus answered sincere questions.
But he wasn't foolish. He did not entertain a
fool. He rarely chased cynical arguments. Sometimes
he answered, sometimes he stayed quiet. When
he stood before Herod, the Bible said he answered
him nothing. Can I tell y 'all why that's important?
Because some conversations aren't looking for
truth. They're looking for reaction. The enemy
loves to bait us, get us angry, get us defensive.
Get us explaining ourselves over and over and
over and over and over again. And meanwhile,
our joy disappears. Our peace evaporates. And
everything suffers. Our witness suffers. And
Proverbs tells us, a soft answer turneth away
wrath. I have the hardest time with that. I am
as sharp -tongued as my mother is, and I know
that I can slice somebody to the bone just by
looking at them wrong and saying something that's
kind of off -kilter. I have to remember that.
I have to be like David and preach to myself,
Oh, so why are they weary trusting God? A soft
answer turneth away wrath. Sometimes the strongest
thing that you can say is nothing. My very best
friend in the whole wide world, Gretchen Wilson,
said, No is an answer and silence is an answer.
She said, you don't have to explain anything
to anybody. She's right. So, so whose report
do you believe? Okay, like in Numbers 13. 12
spies. Ten were bad and two were good. You remember
this from BBS, right? Twelve spies, same land,
same grapes, same giants. Let's talk about that
in other words. Giants. Yeah, they showed back
up. So, ten came in saying, we can't do it. We
can't do it. We can't do it. There's no way we
can do it. Two came back and said, God can. The
circumstances were identical. The report was
different. Whose report are you believing? The
ten or the two? Are you believing the report
of the past? The report of fear? The report of
people who only remember who you used to be?
Are you trusting in the report of the Lord? Because
whichever you believe will determine how you
live. Today reminded me of something. No matter
how old we get, there's still a little kid that
wants her mom and dad to say, I'm really proud
of you. And we never outgrow that. And when we
don't hear it, it hurts. But here's what God's
teaching me. People are wonderful gifts, but
they make terrible gods. If my peace depends
on everybody agreeing with me and placating me,
then I'll never know peace. My dad kept saying
that this week. Y 'all are messing up my peace.
And I'm like, I don't think you're understanding
what you're doing. You can't demand peace by
causing war on everybody else. You can't. It's
contradiction in terms. If my joy depends on
everybody applauding me, I'm never going to know
joy. If my confidence depends on everybody understanding
God's work in my life and His mission for me
and what I'm doing to serve His kingdom, I'll
spend my whole life chasing something that I'm
never going to be able to catch. So today I made
a decision. I'm going to keep loving. I'm going
to keep honoring. I'm going to keep reading and
sharing and trying to get to you. Maybe you don't
know him like I do. I want you to. I'm going
to keep praying. And I'm going to keep following
Jesus. Because one night, I'm not going to have
to stand before Facebook. I'm not going to have
to stand before critics. I'm not going to have
to stand before my family. I'm going to have
to stand before Christ. And that's the opinion
that matters the most to me. Oh, Lord. Hang on.
I got to get a Kleenex. Do I not have a box of
Kleenex on this porch no more? Oh, sir, Ben.
Ricky mistake. I must have used them all the
other day. It's okay. I have some over here.
Oh, that's what I get for getting tender -hearted.
Sorry, I had to use a tea towel. Alright, anyway,
sorry. Let's go to Philippians for just a second.
It's one of the epistles. Philippians 4. I know
we've been all over the place tonight, but there's
a reason for it. Now, in Philippians 4, Paul's
still in prison. He's writing these from prison.
He's not on vacation at a beach or in a cabin
in the mountains. He's in prison, chained to
a Roman guard, dungeons, chains, terrible. He's
still in prison. So, but in Philippians... 4,
6, and 7. He says, don't fret or worry. Instead
of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises
shape your worries into prayers, letting God
know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense
of God's wholeness and everything coming together
for good will come and settle you down. It's
wonderful what happens when Christ displaces
worry at the center of your life. In the King
James Version it says, Be careful for nothing,
but in everything by prayer and supplication
with thanksgiving let your requests be made known
unto God. And the peace of God which passeth
all understanding shall keep your hearts and
minds through Jesus Christ. That word keep is
a military word. It means to stand guard. I want
you to picture a soldier at the gate. Paul said
that when we bring everything to God, His peace
stands guard over our hearts and minds. The enemy
may knock. Fear may knock. Discouragement may
knock. Criticism may knock. But God's peace says,
not today. No one's home. We're hiding in the
bathtub. Don't fret. Pray about everything. Before
you know it, a sense of God's wholeness and everything
coming together for good will come and settle
you down. So tonight, maybe you're exhausted.
Maybe you're carrying words that somebody spoke
over you years ago. Maybe you're trying to earn
love that God has already freely given to you.
You don't have to earn it. You just have to accept
it. Maybe you've been fighting people when the
real battle is in your mind. I think we're losing
a lot of the battle out there because we can't
win the one right here. Tonight, lay it down.
Leave it at the foot of the cross. Leave it at
the feet of Jesus. Because that's the only answer.
And don't lay it down at Jesus' feet because
tomorrow will suddenly become easy. No, because
you're never meant to carry that alone. Jesus
said in Matthew 11, 28, Come unto me, all ye
that labor and that are heavy laden, and I will
give you rest. Notice he doesn't say, I'll give
you explanations. He says, I'll give you rest.
Some of us don't need another argument. We need
rest. We don't need another debate. We need Jesus.
Let's pray. Father, some of us came onto this
porch tonight smiling on the outside and falling
apart on the inside. Thank you for reminding
us that you are not intimidated by our tears
and that you still speak in a still, small, quiet
voice. Teach us to recognize your voice above
all others. Help us love people without letting
fear rule. Help us honor those who have shaped
our lives even when we don't agree. Give us the
wisdom to know when to speak and when to be silent,
Lord. Give us courage to stay on the wall that
you've called us to build. And when we grow weary,
please remind us that your grace is still sufficient.
We ask all this in the precious name of Jesus.
Amen. Porch. If nobody has told you today that
you are loved, If nobody believes in what God
is doing in your life, God still does. Stay on
the wall. Keep your Bible open and your eyes
on Jesus. And don't let the enemy rent any more
space in your head. Don't come down from the
work that God has given you. And remember, the
loudest voice in your life should always be,
The voice of the shepherd. Okay. Stay on the
walk. I want to thank you for coming to the porch
tonight. Sometimes my Bible studies talk more
to me than they do to you. But I think that's
why God puts them on my heart. Because he knew
what kind of week I was having. I sure wish I
tried as hard for God as I do my earthly day.
And I'm working on that. I have to stay on the
wall. I am doing busy, important work and I cannot
come down. So I'm going to keep building. And
I'm going to keep reading. And I'm going to keep
studying the Word of God. And I'm going to keep
telling other people about it. So I'm really,
really glad that you were here for it. And maybe
you heard something you never thought about before.
Maybe it's making you open your Bible and going,
what does that say? Or maybe it's making you
talk to God and going, I didn't know that about
Elijah. Or I didn't know that about Nehemiah.
Or I didn't know that about Matthew. Or I didn't
know that about David. Just saying a pulpit.
And if most of you spent more time worried about
the evil in the world than the women behind the
pulpit, we wouldn't be in the shape that we're
in. It says in the end times, your sons and daughters
will prophesy. And your daughters. Just because
the men that are running the church don't agree
with you, doesn't give them authority over God.
If God put it in your heart to share His Word,
then share His Word. If God put it in your heart
to minister to the homeless, then minister to
the homeless. If God's put it in your heart to
be nice to that B -I -T -C -H that steals your
parking space every day, do it. Stay on the wall.
And I'll see you when we get there. In Christ
alone, my hope is filled. So keep your Bibles
open and your powder dry and your head on the
swivel because we are not fighting flesh and
blood. Be nice to old people, animals, and children.
Try to love your neighbor and give it all to
God. And remember, friends, I'm Sarah Beth Terry
and you're not. Good night.