Author: Mojo Ministries

This past week, I had the honor and privilege to conduct the wedding ceremony for our Youth Pastor and his beautiful bride (both of which have had a huge impact on our church family).  Part of the ceremony was the Unity Cross, where they literally “tied the knot.”  The verse I used for this portion of the ceremony was Ecclesiastes 4:12, “And if one prevail against him, two shall withstand him; and a threefold cord is not quickly broken.” I have been chewing on that verse ever since.

There are basically three ways that you can get into a family.  First, you can be born into a family, which means your birth secured you a position.  Second, you can be adopted into a family, which means you legally secured a position.  The third way is to marry into the family, which means you have secured a position by love.

I am sitting in my study, rejoicing over the fact that I have become a “Son of God” by all three means.  The Holy Spirit has secured us a place in the family by birth, the Father has secured us a place by adopting us, and Jesus Christ brought us into the family by marriage – we are the Bride of Christ!  Now I understand why the writer of Ecclesiastes said, “A threefold cord is not quickly broken.” So, if you will indulge me for just a few minutes, let’s just “Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God” (I John 3:1).

John begins by saying “Behold.”  He is not trying to explain this verse to us, he is simply trying to get you and I to see it, to look at at it, to behold it, to wonder at at.  “What manner of love.”   God’s love for you and I is great in both quantity and quality.  To think that he knew and loved you even before you were born, and that he had (and has) a plan and a purpose for your life, knowing that our lives would not always be what He intended – now that is love.  And God has enough of that love for every one of us.  It is the greatest love that we will ever know.  “The Father hath bestowed upon us.”  Can I tell you something?  No matter how good we think we are, or how much better than other people we think we are – not a single one of us deserves God’s love.  We don’t deserve it, we can’t earn it, we can’t buy it, we had no claim to it, yet, He bestowed us upon us.  “That we should be called the sons of God.”  Aren’t you glad that God didn’t say “The sons of Joe Moore,” but “the sons of God.”  Through our faith in Jesus Christ and His free pardon of sin, we have become “the sons of God.”  `

Do you know what Abel (who offered a more excellent sacrifice), and Enoch (who walked with God), and Abraham (the friend of God), and Issac (obedient unto death), and Jacob (the trickster who wrestled with God), Moses (the kinsman redeemer), Daniel (the greatly beloved, John the Baptist (the greatest man born of woman) and the Apostle Paul (who fought a good fight) all had in common?  They were the “sons of God.”  And John tells us that if they could become the “sons of God,” then you and I can become the “sons of God.”

Can you imagine when we get to Heaven, and see all those great saints of God that have gone on before, and then you and I are paraded by the reviewing stand of the Master of Ceremonies, the Prince of Peace, the King of King and Lord of Lords?  Heaven will erupt in applause as the redeemed of the Lord come marching in and the heralding angels will proclaim “These are the sons of God!  These are the joint-heirs to the throne who will sit with Him in the heavenlies – throughout the ages – world without end.  Amen!”  Why?  Because of the love God has bestowed upon us!

“Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God.”  As the old song says, “I’m so glad I’m a part of the family of God.”

Our church (like most churches) has a very diverse group of people.  We have some among us who are young and strong, and some who are old and feeble.  We have the rich, the poor, the educated and uneducated.  We have high school drop-outs and college graduates.  And, there are those who are committed to the work of God and those who are not.  If I could classify these groups into just two categories it would simply be the “I Cans” and the “I Can’ts.”

It is my personal belief that every born-again child of God should have a desire in their heart to do something for God (and many do).  If you are a child of God and you are not doing something for God, my question would be “why not?”  Is it because you feel you simply can’t?  But then there is another dynamic to entire equation, and that is that group in our church who used to do something for God, but through disappointments, heartaches, let downs or failures, simply feel they can’t do anymore.

The difference between “I can” and “I can’t” is found in our perspective.  If our perspective (or focus) is on Christ, then we can.  However, if our perspective (or focus) is on our human ability, then we can’t.  After Paul had endured all the things he had in his life (II Corinthians 11:24-28), he came to the conclusion “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.”

Paul realized that he could endure any trial, subdue any enemy, surpass all temptation, not by his might or his strength, but “in the strength of the Lord, and in the power of His might” (Ephesians 6:10).  He understood the reality of John 15:5, “I am the vine, ye are the branches: he that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me, YE CAN DO NOTHING.”

What we accomplish (according to both John 15:5 and Philippians 4:13), is “through Him who gives me strength.”  Paul understood that it was more than just knowing God, or knowing about God.  It was more than coming to church when the doors are open, or having your name on the church rolls.  It was more than giving faithfully, or even sacrificially.  It comes through a continual communion with God – us in Him and Him in us!  He is our power source and He is where our strength comes from.

It is the “I CAN” mentality that changed a slave into a deliverer of his people, that changed a shepherd boy into a giant slayer and a king, that transformed Simon into Cephas and Saul into Paul.  The difference between “I Can” and “I Can’t” is found in our ability to keep continual communion with God so that He can flow through us!  So folks, either you CAN or you CAN’T.  Which one are you?

I Kings 19:1-16 records a tremendous story about the prophet Elijah.  What is interesting to me is the fact that this story comes on the heels of Elijah’s great victory at Mount Carmel.  Although the man of God had won a great victory, the enemy wasn’t finished with him yet.  He won a battle, but it was by no means the end of the war.  Isn’t that how it is in our lives?  We conquer a mountain in our lives one day only to feel that the mountains are crushing us the very next.  It seems to be a story that is repeated over and over again in the life of the child of God.  It is for that very reason that you and I can’t afford to lay our armor down.

In Chapter 18, Elijah openly laughs at (and rebukes) the prophets of Baal, and says “The LORD he is God: the LORD he is God.”  Now in chapter 19, we find this same warrior for God hiding under a juniper tree.  That shouldn’t surprise us though, because if the truth be told, we would all have to say we’ve spent more than our fair share of time hiding under our own juniper tree(s).

Elijah, fresh off the heels of a great victory, is now wandering around in the wilderness for 40 days because of misplaced priorities.  This was, by the way, the same wilderness that the children of Israel wandered around in for 40 years.  And both Elijah and the children of Israel had wandered in the opposite direction God had intended for them.  But I’ll tell you one thing that did not change between chapter 18 and chapter 19, and that is the fact that “the LORD He is God:  the LORD He is God!”  He did not change one bit.  He is the same yesterday, today and forever!

The wonderful thing about God’s grace, mercy and long-suffering is that he did not lose sight of Elijah.  He knew that Elijah was discouraged, alone and even battered.  But what Elijah didn’t realize is that God could see things that he couldn’t see.  So, when Elijah was feeling down, when his fire had died down and his faith was wavering, God put on a little display of His power.  He caused the Wind to blow, the earth to quake, and the fire to fall.

But then God did something completely different, something completely unexpected – He replaced the voice of nature with a “still, small voice.”  I would venture to say that there are many today that are looking for the wind to blow, and the earth to quake, and the fire to fall, lighting to crash and thunder to roar – but not many are listening to the “still, small voice.”

It almost appears that the LORD is saying to Elijah, “Elijah, seems to me that as long as you can feel the wind blow, the earthquake and summons the fire to fall from heaven; as long as you can experience an emotional ride – then every things alright.  But Elijah, you would do well to remember that it is not always going to be that way.  Your walk is not always going to be a picnic.  But, Elijah, if you just put your trust in me, you will have all you need.  I got your attention with the wind, and the earthquake, and the fire falling – but I was not in them.  However, I was in that ‘still small voice‘ you heard.  Remember Elijah, my word is ‘quick and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword.”

I wonder today if God’s Word is enough for us?  When we feel like our world is falling apart, when we’ve done every thing that we can do, and keep coming up short, when God doesn’t remove the mountains in our lives or remove the throne from our flesh, is the “still small voice of God” enough for us?

Once God got Elijah in place that he would listen, God asked him a simple, straight-up question, a question that I believe God wants to ask you and I.  The question is this, “What doest thou here Elijah?”  It was that question that caused Elijah to wrap his face in his mantle (an open sign of repentance), and then (and only then) could Elijah hear God say “GO.”  “Elijah, go and anoint Elisha.”  You see folks, we’re not in this alone.  There are others depending on us, looking up to us, counting on us.  God is still speaking to us today, the questions is, are we listening?  When is the last time you’ve heard the “still, small voice of God?”  I’ll finish with this question:

“What are you doing here, (INSERT YOUR NAME)?

In Exodus chapters 30 and 37, Moses was given specific instructions of how to build the two altars “according to pattern.”  The first was the Brazen altar (the altar of burnt offering) found in Exodus chapter 30.  This altar was found in the court of the Tabernacle.  The second altar was the Golden altar (altar of sweet incense), found in chapter 37, positioned in the Holy Place.  Though all of Israel had access to the brazen altar, only the priest could approach the golden altar.

On the Brazen Altar, blood sacrifices were sprinkled and poured out, while on the Golden Altar, sweet spices were to constantly ascend to the nostrils of God.  The Brazen Altar represented the blood atonement – the acceptable sacrifice offered to God on behalf of the sins of the people.  The Golden Altar represented the constant communion with God.   As different as these two altars are, they are both inseparably connected together – for without the blood sacrifice, there is no communion with God.

But I want to focus on the Horns of the Altar (both the Brazen Altar and the Golden Altar).  These horns sat upon all four corners of the altars.  The Israelites would bring their sacrifices to the altar, and it was upon these horns that they would stick these sacrifices and they would just hang there.

It seems that the power and strength of the altars was found in the horns.  This is the place where the blood was constantly found.  Whenever someone desired the power of God in their lives, they would grab a hold to the Horns of the Altar.

Everything about these altars was significant.  The position was significant, as the four corners represented the positioning of the 12 tribes of Israel.  Its constructions was also significant, as it was made with wood and overlaid with gold.  Can I just go ahead and have a fit right here?

It was on two pieces of wood (possibly a representation of both the Brazen Altar and the Golden Altar) that Jesus Christ, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, hung and “came forth as gold tried in the fire.”

It was on Him that all our sins hang.  Without that blood atonement, it is impossible for you and I to have communion with God.  “Without the shedding of blood, there is no remission of sin.”  Jesus said He is “the Way, the Truth and the Life.”  And my friends, “there is none other name given in heaven among men whereby we must be saved.”

No wonder, in I Kings 1:50 when Adonijah was in fear for his life from Solomon, he “went and caught hold on the horns of the altar.”  I would venture to say that there are some reading this post that are in fear – in fear of failure, in fear of relationships, in fear of sickness, in fear of regret.  Some may have even been in the valley for so long you simply feel that you have reached the end of your rope and there is no hope.  Well, I have a sure Word from God for you – no matter who you are or even where you are.  Romans 8:34 says, “Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.”

HORN 1 – CHRIST DIED

He died for your sins and for my sins.  He is the “once and for all” sacrifice.   “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”  Now you and I (just like the Apostle Paul) can grab a hold to the Horn that “God commended His love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”

HORN 2 – YEA RATHER, IS RISEN

Through His death, He led captivity captive.  He has given you and I victory over death, hell and the grave, and we are now “more than conquerors.”

HORN 3 – WHO IS EVEN AT THE RIGHT HAND OF GOD

The grave could not keep Him.  God sent His Angel to “fetch Him.”  And He arose, He arose, Hallelujah Christ Arose.  And we can sing today “WORHTY IS THE LAMB THAT WAS SLAIN!”

HORN 4 – WHO ALSO MAKETH INTERCESSION FOR US

And every time I fail, and every time I stumble, and every time I let Him down – I know the devil runs right over and says, “Look at that ole Joe fail you again.”  Then Jesus steps in and says, “Dad, I took care of that!”  I’m glad that no matter where I am on this life’s journey, He has never lost sight of me.  He knows right where I am and I’m glad He is my Advocate with the Father!

Some of you just need to grab a hold to these Horns.

When I was a young boy, my brother Sonny and I, used to spend a lot of time sitting by the train tracks that came out of the Sonoco Paper Mill in our home town.  We would count the different types of trains, cabooses, and freight cars.  I remember in particular, one time where we counted 36 freight cars on one train that was filled to capacity.  You say, “Well Joe, how do you know it was filled to capacity?”  I thought you’d never ask.  On the side of that train was a sign that said Maximum Load – DUH!

Now, I have to admit that didn’t mean a lot to me as a 10 year old boy, but now that I am a little older and been down the road a little further, I understand it more.  You see, in order for someone to put a sign on that train saying “Maximum Load,” it meant that someone was responsible to know exactly how much that train could carry and ensure that it was not overloaded, or carrying more than it was designed to carry.

How about us?  I wonder what kind of loads you and I are carrying.  What kind of past hurts, past failures, past problems, past disappointments are grinding our trains to a halt.  Sometimes, those loads seem so heavy we feel like we are going to jump track and dump our loads.

But, for just a few minutes, let me give you some good news.  Whether you are redeemed or not, troubles are going to come your way.  However, if you are redeemed, when those troubles come, we have the assurance in God’s word that they will not overwhelm us.  I Corinthians 10:13 says, “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.”

TROUBLE IS COMING

“There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man:”   Maybe you are reading this and you have never lost a job, or missed a meal, never been late paying a bill or had bad health.  Maybe you have never had a loved one fight a horrible disease or worse yet, had to stand by the graveside of someone you love.  But I assure you of this, if you live long enough – you will.  Troubles are “common to man.”  So, why even bother?

BECAUSE, ALTHOUGH TROUBLES ARE COMING – GOD IS FAITHFUL

“There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful,”  God is trustworthy, He is dependable, He is reliable.  He will never leave you nor forsake you.  He loves you and I with an everlasting love.  When the world turns their back on you, when problems seem to mount up, when church folk are quitting on you – GOD WILL BE FAITHFUL.

NOT ONLY WILL GOD BE FAITHFUL, HE IS IN CONTROL

He Controls the Thermostat

“Who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able;”  God is omniscient (all-knowing).  He knows everything about us.  Nothing in our lives catches God by surprise.  Psalm 103:14 says, “For He knoweth our frame:  He remembereth that we are dust.”  (and I’m glad He doesn’t expect much more out of me than He expects out of dust).  Since God knows us, and He created us – He knows how much we can take.  Maybe that is why Job was able to say “But He knoweth the way that I take: when He hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold.”

He Controls the Way Out

“But will with the temptation also make a way to escape,”  Not only is God omniscient, He is all omnipotent (all-powerful).  Peter said, “The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptation.”  And He does!  I do not care how big your problems are – our God is bigger.  I don’t care how big that mountain seems to be – our God is bigger!  And my God is faithful.

His Grace is Sufficient

“That ye may be able to bear it.”  Over and over again, we find in the Bible where God did not lighten the load of His people:

• He did not keep the 3 Hebrew boys out of the fiery furnace;
• He did not keep Daniel out of the Lion’s Den;
• He did not remove Paul’s “throne in the flesh.”

Though He didn’t lighten their loads, He did give them the strength they needed to carry the loads, “that they might be able yo bear it.”  I think that is why Paul was able to say, “God’s grace is sufficient!”  And we can rejoice that Paul’s God is OUR God!

God doesn’t promise us an easy road to Heaven, but He promises that He will be faithful.

Job 1:8 says, “And the Lord said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil?”

Everything was going great for Job.  He was prospering in every aspect of his life.  He had family, friends and fellowship with God.  Then, all of a sudden, seemingly out of nowhere, trouble came and Job lost his livestock, his loved ones, and he nearly lost his life.

Job had no idea, that far beyond his mortal view, God was using his life to defeat Satan.  For whatever reason, God didn’t choose to give Job advance notice that certain catastrophic events were about to take place in his life.  God didn’t fore-warn Job that he was going to pay a hefty price for being a servant.

All of Job’s friends thought he was doing something wrong, that he had some deep, dark hidden secret sin in his life.  Even his own wife said, “Job, why don’t you just curse God and die?”  But through it all, Job kept his testimony and maintained his integrity.  I think, in the depths of my soul, Job understood that it is easy to lose some things you can’t get back.  I believe that is why the Bible records for us that Job “was perfect and upright, and one that feared God, and eschewed evil.”

Sometimes when I see my brothers and sisters in Christ going through hard times in their lives, when I see some that are hurting or facing some major trial in their lives, I often ask myself, “I wonder if the LORD is pointing at them and saying, ‘Satan, have you considered my servant Israel?”, or “Have you considered my servant Allan, or my servant Brittany?”

Friends, the next time trouble comes your way, the next time heartache comes your way, or disappointment comes your way – or maybe even failure – or the odds seem to be against you, just remember, GOD MIGHT BE POINTING AT YOU!

I don’t know if y’all realize just what a difficult task Nehemiah took on in rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem.  Understand now just who Nehemiah is:

• He is not a carpenter or a brick mason;
• He is not an Engineer;
• He is not an independent contractor.

At the end of Nehemiah Chapter 1, Nehemiah states what his position was, “For I was the King’s cupbearer.”  Now folks, this was a serious job Nehemiah had.   It was a job of High Rank and of High Risk.  If you’ve ever seen a movie that was set in this era, then you are probably familiar with this position – they were the food taster and they were the wine taster.

There were many insurrections, and many uprisings, and many times they would get to the cooks and persuade them to poison the King’s food or his drink in an attempt to kill the king.  So the role of the cupbearer was to taste the food and taste the wine – so this was a very trusted position.  So with this position, it was a one of High Rank and High Risks – but it also came with High Respectability.  The King himself respected you – it was a very trustworthy position.  So Nehemiah and King Artaxerses were very, very close and we learn this by studying Nehemiah.

We learn in chapter 1 that Nehemiah learns that the walls of Jerusalem still laid in waste nearly 100 years after it had fallen and there was no one to rebuild them.

• The city was in disarray,
• The people were running around like sheep without a shepherd;
• And in fact, they had become a reproach to God.

And this burdened Nehemiah’s heart greatly.  God began to burden Nehemiah’s heart about this and he was in such a position, he knew that he couldn’t go without the permission of the King.  And apparently, Nehemiah wore his feelings on his sleeve, because the king looked at him and knew something was wrong.

So to paraphrase this, the King said to Nehemiah, “What’s wrong?” and Nehemiah said, “King, my home city lays in ruins and the gates thereof are burned with fire.  I would like to go there and rebuild the walls of my hometown, and I would like to also rebuild the people there as well.”

Now here’s what I really like about this – and God writes the best stories doesn’t He – because not only did the King allow Nehemiah to go to Jerusalem and rebuild the walls, but he also gave him the resources to do it!  Now that is Shameless Audacity isn’t it?

Nehemiah had a definite purpose in the will of God.  And folks, listen to me, if you are reading this, YOU are a child of God, whether you realize it not; whether you’ve lived up to your full potential or not.  God has a definite purpose for your life.  God has set you and I apart for a definite purpose – whether that purpose is to sing a solo, or sing in a choir, or to preach the Gospel message or teach a Sunday School class, or to work in the kitchen or clean the toilets – no matter what it is – GOD HAS A PURPOSE FOR ALL OF OUR LIVES IN THE UP-BUILDING OF HIS KINGDOM!

But, with every Divine Purpose – rest assure there will be Opposition.  In fact, one of the sure fired ways you can tell that if are going in the right direction is the fact that you have Opposition in the way!  Rest assured tonight that as soon as you decide to do something for God and you begin to move forward and act on it THERE WILL BE OPPOSITION – and that brings us to our text in Nehemiah Chapter 4, beginning in verse 1:

“But it came to pass, that when Sanballat heard that we builded the wall, he was wroth, and took great indignation, and mocked the Jews. ² And he spake before his brethren and the army of Samaria, and said, What do these feeble Jews? will they fortify themselves? will they sacrifice? will they make an end in a day? will they revive the stones out of the heaps of the rubbish which are burned?”

What Sanballat was saying here was, “What do they think they’re doing?  They are trying to do something that is impossible!”

Now God says it CAN – But the world says it can’t!

God said “Nehemiah, I want YOU to rebuild the walls,” – but notice with me

OPPOSITION CAME

It came from Outside

And any time you try to do something for God, you can rest assured there will be opposition from the Outside.

Listen, Satan is not going to sit back tonight and let you do something great for God without trying to attack you, and destroy you – Hey, he is a “roaring lion roaming about seeking whom he may devour.”

Folks, the devil is going to do everything he can to destroy those who are trying to do the right thing.

Verse 3 goes on and Tobiah the Ammonite says, “Yea, I know what you’re talking about.  Even if they build the walls, they’ll be so shabbily built that even if a fox walks upon them, they will come crumbling down.”

Isn’t that just like the world?  They look at the work you are trying to do for God, the ministry you are trying to grow, the people you are trying to reach and they will say – “Well, let him go ahead and do it, because no matter what he does, it ain’t ever gonna amount to much!”

And that is what the devil wants to do, he wants to put a shred of doubt in you and get you to thinking that it just doesn’t matter.  But friends hear me well – IT DOES MATTER, and what you do for the upbuilding of God’s kingdom MATTERS!

The devil is going to come and try to destroy, BUT “GREATER IS HE THAT IS IN ME THAN HE THAT IS IN THE WORLD!”

So what does Nehemiah do?  Well, we learn in verse 4 that he prays for his enemies.  Now doesn’t the Bible say that you and I are to “pray for those that despitefully use you?”

• When’s the last time you prayed for someone that cussed you out?
• When’s the last time you prayed for someone that slammed a door in your face?

Not only was there Opposition on the outside, but in verse 10:

There was Opposition from the Inside.

Verse 10 says, “And Judah said, the strength of the bearers of burdens is                 decayed, and there is much rubbish; so that we are not able to build the wall.”

Now these are the very people that should have been coming to Nehemaih says, “Let’s go Nehemiah, we can do this.  Let’s push on!”  But, instead, they are saying the work can’t be done.

• Who does Nehemiah think he is? He’s not a Brick Mason;
• He’s not an Engineer;
• We can’t build this wall with all the pressure we’re getting from the community;
• You can’t be a preacher – you didn’t go to college;
• You can’t be a preacher – you’ve had failure in your life;
• You can’t help others with their problems, you’ve had to many problems of your own.

Folks, listen to me for a minute, and if you don’t get anything else I say here, please don’t miss this:  If God only used the people that deserved to be used – NOBODY WOULD BE USED because:

• “THERE ARE NONE RIGHTEOUS – NO NOT ONE.”
• “FOR ALL HAVE SINNED AND COME SHORT OF THE GLORY OF GOD”
• “ALL OF OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS IS AS FILTHY RAGS.”

99.5 percent of the issues and problems in the church don’t come from the outside – they come from somebody on the INSIDE.  I just think it will be a good day for the church when you and I can begin identifying the dirty, rotten, filthy sin in our own lives as quickly as we identify it in everybody else’s life.

So Nehemiah, rather than retaliating against the opposers, he prayed for them and he said, “God, now this is not MY battle – it is YOUR battle, so I need YOU to take care of the Opposing Forces.”

In verse 9 Nehemiah says, “We prayed unto our God, and set a watch against them day and night.”

You know what Nehemiah was saying?  He was saying, “God, we’re gonna continue to work like it depends on us – BUT we’re gonna Pray like it depends on YOU!”

Not only did Nehemiah pray for them, but he also HAD A PLAN.  Verse 13-14, “Therefore set I in the lower places behind the wall, and on the higher places, I even set the people after their families with their swords, their spears, and their bows. 14 And I looked, and rose up, and said unto the nobles, and to the rulers, and to the rest of the people, Be not ye afraid of them: remember the Lord, which is great and terrible, and fight for your brethren, your sons, and your daughters, your wives, and your houses.”

Nehemiah was saying, “I don’t care what comes.  The opposition may come from the outside or it may come from the inside – I DON’T CARE – but we ARE GOING TO REBUILD THIS WALL.”

It reminds me of what Jesus told Peter, “Upon this ROCK I will build my church and the gates of hell will not prevail against it.”

Now I don’t know about you – but I want to be on the winning team Amen!  Nehemiah had a plan – he told them what to do, and we have a wonderful outline in verse 14:

He said, “We’re gonna build this wall, and when Opposition comes:

DO NOT FEAR – “Be not ye afraid of them”

• Yes they’re gonna come at you;
• Yes they’re gonna look at you like you’re crazy;
• Yes they are gonna shrug their shoulders at you;
• Yes they’re gonna say you’ll never amount to anything;
• Yes they are gonna say you’ll never make it

But praise God, you don’t have to be afraid of them – God has you in the place to rebuild the walls of your life, so why not just determine right now that I’m gonna build my section of wall one brick at a time!  DON’T BE AFRAID!

I’m gonna tell you folks, fear only comes from the devil, because the Bible says that God “doesn’t give the spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.”

Fear comes from the devil – it does not come from God.  But notice in our Scripture that from the youngest to the oldest, they all began to rebuild their section of wall – WHY?  Because they did not have to be afraid!

If God says it’s going to be done – then it’s going to be done!

• There are some of you that are completing courses and you know God is calling you to do something – YOU DO NOT NEED TO FEAR!
• Some of you have just begun the process of quitting and addiction, and you are on shaky ground and feel like you can’t do this – YOU DON’T NEED TO FEAR!

FEAR IS SIMPLY FALSE EVIDENCE APPEARING REAL.

First he said, Don’t be afraid!, Second he says,

DON’T FORGET – “Remember the Lord, which is great and terrible.”

Nehemiah is saying, “You don’t have to fear, but you can look back on your life and REMEMBER how God has taken care of you.”

Nehemiah is saying,

• “Yes, the walls are in shambles,”
• Yes, they’ve been that way a long time.”
• “Yes, the task seems daunting,”
• “Yes it seems overwhelming,”
• But, You REMEMBER how daunting it was for our ancestors as they faced the Red Sea – But God made a way for them.”
• REMEMBER how they got hungry in the Wilderness, but God provided Manna from Heaven;
• REMEMBER how they were thirsty, and how God provided water out of the rocks.”
• Remember when little David went out to face that Giant Goliath – It seemed like and impossible task – BUT GOD AMEN!!!!!

REMEMBER THE LORD!

And can I say with confidence:

• Yes, many of your lives are in shambles,
• Yes, the walls lieth waste and the gates thereof are burned with fire;
• Yes this seems like an impossible, daunting task ahead of you!

BUT REMEMBER THE LORD:

So folks, “Be not afraid of them, REMEMBER THE LORD!

Folks, If God can do it for them, let’s remember that He can do for YOU!

Nehemiah said Don’t Fear and Don’t Forget, but finally he said:

DON’T GO DOWN WITHOUT A FIGHT.  “Fight for your brethren, your sons, and your daughters, your wives and your houses.”

The reason some have not been blessed is because you’re not fighting hard enough.

I’m just gonna tell you, there’s some things worth fighting for.

• Hey, my pastor is worth fighting for;
• My children, they are worth fighting for;
• My grandchildren are worth fighting for;
• My wife Kim is worth fighting for.

Don’t Be Afraid, Don’t Forget and Don’t go down without a Fight!

Let me get conclude with this:

In 52 days, in spite of the opposition from the outside from Sanballat, and Tobiah, and Gesham, and inspite of the opposition from Judah on the inside, and in spite of the fact that this was such a daunting, seemingly impossible task – Nehemiah and the people of God rebuilt the walls!

What can you do in 52 days?

• Can you repair the fragments of your life?
• Can you repair your broken marriage?
• Can you repair the relationship with your parents or your children?
• Can you turn your world upside down?

What is worth fighting for to you?

In II Samuel 23, and verse 9 and 10, the Bible says, “And after him was Eleazar the son of Dodo the Ahohite, one of the three mighty men with David, when they defied the Philistines that were there gathered together to battle, and the men of Israel were gone away: ¹⁰ He arose, and smote the Philistines until his hand was weary, and his hand clave unto the sword: and the Lord wrought a great victory that day; and the people returned after him only to spoil.”

Here in II Samuel 23, we have some of the last words of King David.  Now, we are not sure if these were in fact his last words, or if this were his last recorded words before he died.  But either way, the things that David has to say here are important to him.

So, as David reminisces here in II Samuel 23, as he begins to remember, he begins to recall the many exploits of his Mighty Men.   Now, David had many soldiers, many that were loyal to him, many that had accomplished great feats on the fields of battle.  But, in this chapter, David is going to narrow that down to 30 of those men, and really, he’s going to specifically focus on 3 of those Mighty Men, men that David referred to as “The Chief among the Captains.”

These are the men that stood out in David’s mind, the men that he wanted to remember before he died.  David wanted everybody to know how he felt about these men.  And as we read the chapter, we get down to verse 8, and we are introduced to the first of these 3:

• Adino, the Ezrite – this is a fellow that drew his spear and slew 800 of the enemy of God at 1 time.
• In Verses 9, 10, there is Eleazar the Ahohite – but we will come back to him, as he is the focus of the message.
• In verse 11, Shammah, the Hararite – who stood against the Philistines when everybody else ran away and the LORD wrought a great victory.

I want focus on verses 9 and 10 and give you 4 things that caught my mind as I studied this Mighty Man Eleazar, a man who was faithful, a man who was loyal to his king, notice with me first of all:

THE PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY

You see, as you read this passage of Scripture, we find apparently what happened is King David, and these 3 Mighty Men, and the others mentioned here, go into battle against the Philistines.  Right in the heat of the battle, everybody turns and runs away.  The end of verse 9 says, “and the men of Israel had gone away.” They fled – they ran – they retreated!

Now, they either left Eleazar by himself, or maybe the other 2 stayed with him – we don’t know for certain, as Eleazar is the only one mentioned in these two verses.

He was left alone to fight the entire army of the Philistines.  Why do you think he didn’t run?  When everybody else turned and ran away, why do you think he didn’t run with them?  I think he didn’t run because he understood his Personal Responsibility.

You see, every one of us have some personal responsibilities in our lives; some things in our lives that no one else can do for us – they are our Personal Responsibility:

• If you are married, you have a Personal Responsibility to your Spouse. As a husband, it is my responsibility to take care of my wife (not my husband – my wife) and to love her.  That is your responsibility – no one else is supposed to do that for you.

And no matter what other husbands do, or do not do, that does not change MY PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY.

• If you are a parent, or a grandparent, you have a responsibility to care for those children that God has put in your life, you are to love them, to care for them, and to nurture them. It is not the communities responsibility, or the school’s responsibility – it is MY personal Responsibility.

And no matter what other fathers do, or fail to do, that does not change my Personal Responsibility to my children and my grandchildren.

• If you are a Christian, you have some personal responsibilities to your Church:
  • We have the responsibility to pray for our church, for our leaders, for our pastor and for one another;
  • We have the responsibility to be faithful – with our time, talents and tithes;
  • We have a responsibility to reach the lost for Christ. It is not the Pastor’s responsibility – it is all of our responsibility.

And no matter what other members of the church do or do not do, no matter what other Christians do or do not do, that does not change my Personal Responsibility to my church.

I believe Eleazar was a good man, a good soldier, a good husband and a good father because he understood he had a Personal Responsibility.  You see, it didn’t matter what the rest of Israel did that day – it didn’t change Eleazar’s Personal Responsibility.

Eleazar knew that if he survived the battle, he was gonna have to stand before his king.  So he stayed in the battle; he stayed faithful to the fight; he stayed in there when the going got tough.

I can almost picture this battle in my mind.  I can see Eleazar standing there in the thick of battle, watching all the others run away – I can imagine he had a few thoughts and choice words about them!  I can’t even fathom what was going through his head when he watched everybody run away.  It would have been easy for him to run with them, I mean, who would have held it against him?

What’s really amazing to me is that Eleazar was just an ordinary guy, just like everybody that ran away, yet he made a decision to do an extraordinary deed – because he had a Personal Responsibility to his king.  It didn’t matter to him what everybody else was doing – he had a Personal Responsibility.  But the 2^nd thing I see:

THE PAINFUL REALITY

So, here is Eleazar – he’s swinging his sword; he’s slashing and thrusting; hacking and whacking.  He is giving this fight everything that he has.  And notice what verse 10 says, “He arose, and smote the Philistines until his hand was weary . . .”

He got tired.  Listen, you hold a big shield and sword and sling them around for a while – you’re gonna get weary!  Every time he would kill one of the enemies of God, it seemed two more would pop up.  It seemed like there was no end to the battle.  And don’t miss this though:

• He was doing what was right;
• He was being faithful.

But the Painful Reality is that even when you are doing the right things; even when you are giving all you’ve got, there are times when you are going to get weary!

And when we get weary, that is when we need to be careful, because Satan will come in and get us.  And folks, we can get weary doing all the right things! We can get weary in well doing!

You know one of the bad things about getting older?  You see, I am still as excited as I’ve ever been – and maybe even more so – BUT, I cannot physically express that excitement like I once could – my body is getting weary.  And we can get weary in well doing – Eleazar did.  He was doing the right things for the right reasons and he got weary.

Why do you think he got weary? I think there are a couple of reasons:

• Because of the number of the enemy. There were a lot of them.  He would kill them, and they’d just kept coming.
• Because there was no one else to fight the enemy with him – he was all alone Truth is, if the Israelites would stayed with him in the battle, none of them would have gotten as weary.

Listen, sometimes when we get weary, sometimes when we get discouraged, sometimes when we get overwhelmed, it’s because of the number of the enemy.  And sometimes no matter how hard we fight, no matter how right we are, the battles just keep coming.  Some days, we just get weary!

Sadly, sometimes when we get weary, we look around and see there is so much to do, and so few willing to help.  Nobody was helping Eleazar – they all ran off.  So Eleazar got weary.

You know, Eleazar could have dropped his sword when he got weary and ran away – and NOBODY would have said a thing about it, after all, he stayed in the battle longer than anybody else.  He could have done what they did and just ran away.  But that’s not what he did.

Instead, verse 10 says, “he clave to his sword . . .” That word clave means “to get a better grip,” “To grip it a little tighter.”

Here he is fighting the Philistines with everything in him, his buddies have all run off, he’s getting weary – and he can either throw down his sword and run away – or he can get a better grip and say “God, I am here for the duration – live or die, sink or swim, I’m here till it’s over!”

The Painful reality was, his hands got tired, they got weary – but let me show you:

THE PHENOMENAL RENEWAL

Sometimes, I think God is waiting for a point in the battle to see if we really mean business for God; to see if we are really serious about serving him; to see if He can count on us.

I believe many Christians have given up the fight just as God was about to send a great victory their way.  They threw down their swords.

But, I am glad the Bible doesn’t say that about Eleazar.  His hands clave to that sword, he got a better grip.  And when he did that, he was making a statement, “God, I’m not going anywhere; I’m gonna fight to my last breathe.”

Illustration:  I played baseball in school, and during the 9^th inning, whenever it was time to bat, and there were runners on base, the coach would say, “Now don’t try to hit a home run, just choke up on the bat – get a better grip – get a hit, get on base, keep the game moving forward.”

You know what, I believe as Christians, rather than worrying about hitting homeruns all the time, maybe we should just think about getting a better grip on the “Sword” and be faithful.

You know what husbands, your wives don’t need you to be a Fabio – they need you to be faithful.  Our kids don’t need us to be superman – they just need us to be faithful.

Now, after Eleazar had been in the fight, he got weary – but rather than throw down his sword, he got a better grip and made up his mind he was going to be faithful.  And because he did – “The LORD wrought a great victory that day.”

That is the Phenomenal Renewal. That is God’s way of reminding us that it is Him that brings the victory.

THE PROPER RECOGNITION

Now this brings us to the final point.  Notice it doesn’t say that Eleazar wrought a great victory, or King David wrought a great victory.  It says, “The LORD wrought a great victory that day.”  Eleazar knew that it was God that gave the victory.

I pray that everyone of us – when we get in the battle, when we’re sticking to our responsibilities, and we get weary, I pray that God gives us the strength to get a better grip, and when the last battle has been fought, I pray we will be able to say, “To God be the glory, for great things He has done.”

Give Him the PROPER RECOGNITION.

I like Eleazar, just a regular ole guy that wanted to be faithful to his king.  And you know what:

• I want to be faithful to my King;
• I want to be faithful to my Lord and Savior;
• I want to be faithful to my Wife, to my family;
• I want to be faithful to my Church;
• I want to be a Mighty Man for God!

One of my favorite books in the Bible is the Book of Nehemiah.  I think I like it so much because Nehemiah was just an ordinary guy who did for God what nobody else could do for 100 years – he rebuilt the walls of Jerusalem – and he did it in 52 days!

In Nehemiah chapter 4, beginning in verse 14:

“And I looked, and rose up, and said unto the nobles, and to the rulers, and to the rest of the people, (Now, if you are in the habit of underlining things in your Bible, the next phrase is one of those things that I would underline) BE NOT AFRAID OF THEM:  REMEMBER THE LORD, which is great and terrible (That word terrible here is translated to mean AWESOME.  Our God is Great and Awesome!), and fight for your brethren, your sons, and your daughters, your wives, and your houses.

• We are talking about your homes here;
• We are talking about fighting for your families; 

¹⁵ And it came to pass, when our enemies heard that it was known unto us, and God had brought their counsel to nought (That’s another good place to underline), that we returned all of us to the wall, every one unto his work.”

Verse 15 finishes with these words – “EVERY ONE UNTO HIS WORK:“

• Young or old;
• Rich or poor;
• Male or female;
• Educated or uneducated.

Every single person had a job to do.  Every single person had an assignment from Jehovah God!  Every single person had a purpose, a mission to fulfill – IN THEIR GENERATION.

• I cannot accomplish anything in my Father’s generation – that is in the past;
• I cannot accomplish anything in my grandchildren’s generation – that’s in the future;
• I can only accomplish the work of God in my generation- HERE AND NOW!

The only generation that I can affect for God is my generation.  And folks, I determined long ago that in my generation, I am going to serve the Lord with the best that I have in me BY HIS PERFECT WILL.

What I want you to understand with me is that every one has a work:

• EVERY WOMAN;
• EVERY MAN;
• EVERY CHILD

“Every one unto his work!”

And notice with me where it started with Nehemiah:

• It started with the family;
• It started with the home.

“. . . and fight for your brethren, your sons, and your daughters, your wives, and your houses.”

• You can forget fighting the battles against evil IF you can’t win the battle in your home;
• You can forget fighting the opposition, if you can’t win the battle in your home;
• You can forget building any walls, IF you can’t win the battle in your home!

And Nehemiah understood this and he said, “If we’re going to build this wall, everybodies got to build in front of your own house.”  And that’s how he assigned everybody “IN FRONT OF THEIR OWN HOUSE.”

• YOU build that section of wall;
• RIGHT where your family lives;
• And Fight for your wives;
• And fight for your sons;
• And fight for your daughters;
• And fight for your homes.

Folks, I’m going to tell you what is wrong with America, and what’s wrong with our churches and what’s wrong with OUR church:

We’ve tried to do all this stuff for the world, and we’ve tried to do all this stuff for the church – AND WE HAVEN’T BUILT OUR HOMES!

Homes are falling apart and Marriages are crumbling – and folks, that’s why America is falling apart.  As a society, we have even tried to redefine the family and the home.

And as much as we’d like to blame our government for the problem, I will tell you right now:

• The problem is not in the White House or in the state house;
• The problem is in our house!

I will tell you today that there is no Bill that’s going to pass Congress and there’s no Order going to come from the Supreme Court that’s going to fix the problem.  The only thing that will FIX the problem is when you and I “fight for your brethren, your sons, and your daughters, your wives, and your houses.” You see folks, the problem didn’t start in Congress and it didn’t start in the Supreme Court – it started in the HOME!  It started in our FAMILIES!

Nehemiah understood that if we don’t get the family right; if we don’t get the home right; we can forget building the walls for God!  So Nehemiah says to the people:

• Get your homes right;
• Get your families right;
• Fight for your brethren;
• Fight for you sons;
• Fight for your daughters;
• Fight for your wives;
• Fight for your homes!

Folks, before we start trying to fix the politics in this country, and before we can fix the schools in our country, before we can begin to fix EVERYBODY ELSE’S problems, we’ve got to get things right in our own houses.

The reason that the walls were built in 52 days after lying in waste for over 100 years, and the reason the testimony that the walls were rebuilt went out all over the world, and the reason this is recorded for you and I in the WORD of God is because EVERY MAN FOUGHT FOR HIS FAMILY!

• They fought for their brethren;
• They fought for their sons;
• They fought for their daughters;
• They fought for their wives;
• They fought for their homes!

Last night, we completed our small group study on “Draw the Circle” by Matt Batterson.  One of my greatest personal takeaways from the study came in Lesson 38 entitled “CLIMB THE WATCH TOWER.”  This was in reference to the vantage point of the watchman.  It related how answered prayers give us a vantage point.

One of the references that really struck me, was a point that I shared with our church family.  It came from Josh chapter 4:

“And it came to pass, when all the people were clean passed over Jordan, that the Lord spake unto Joshua, saying,  ² Take you twelve men out of the people, out of every tribe a man, ³ And command ye them, saying, Take you hence out of the midst of Jordan, out of the place where the priests’ feet stood firm, twelve stones, and ye shall carry them over with you, and leave them in the lodging place, where ye shall lodge this night. ⁴ Then Joshua called the twelve men, whom he had prepared of the children of Israel, out of every tribe a man: ⁵ And Joshua said unto them, Pass over before the ark of the Lord your God into the midst of Jordan, and take you up every man of you a stone upon his shoulder, according unto the number of the tribes of the children of Israel: ⁶ That this may be a sign among you, that when your children ask their fathers in time to come, saying, What mean ye by these stones? ⁷ Then ye shall answer them, That the waters of Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord; when it passed over Jordan, the waters of Jordan were cut off: and these stones shall be for a memorial unto the children of Israel for ever. ⁸ And the children of Israel did so as Joshua commanded, and took up twelve stones out of the midst of Jordan, as the Lord spake unto Joshua, according to the number of the tribes of the children of Israel, and carried them over with them unto the place where they lodged, and laid them down there. ⁹ And Joshua set up twelve stones in the midst of Jordan, in the place where the feet of the priests which bare the ark of the covenant stood: and they are there unto this day. ¹⁰ For the priests which bare the ark stood in the midst of Jordan, until everything was finished that the Lord commanded Joshua to speak unto the people, according to all that Moses commanded Joshua: and the people hasted and passed over. ¹¹ And it came to pass, when all the people were clean passed over, that the ark of the Lord passed over, and the priests, in the presence of the people. ¹² And the children of Reuben, and the children of Gad, and half the tribe of Manasseh, passed over armed before the children of Israel, as Moses spake unto them: ¹³ About forty thousand prepared for war passed over before the Lordunto battle, to the plains of Jericho. ¹⁴ On that day the Lord magnified Joshua in the sight of all Israel; and they feared him, as they feared Moses, all the days of his life. ¹⁵ And the Lord spake unto Joshua, saying,  ¹⁶ Command the priests that bear the ark of the testimony, that they come up out of Jordan. ¹⁷ Joshua therefore commanded the priests, saying, Come ye up out of Jordan.  ¹⁸ And it came to pass, when the priests that bare the ark of the covenant of the Lord were come up out of the midst of Jordan, and the soles of the priests’ feet were lifted up unto the dry land, that the waters of Jordan returned unto their place, and flowed over all his banks, as they did before. ¹⁹ And the people came up out of Jordan on the tenth day of the first month, and encamped in Gilgal, in the east border of Jericho.  ²⁰ And those twelve stones, which they took out of Jordan, did Joshua pitch in Gilgal.²¹ And he spake unto the children of Israel, saying, When your children shall ask their fathers in time to come, saying, What mean these stones? ²² Then ye shall let your children know, saying, Israel came over this Jordan on dry land. ²³ For the Lord your God dried up the waters of Jordan from before you, until ye were passed over, as the Lord your God did to the Red sea, which he dried up from before us, until we were gone over: ²⁴ That all the people of the earth might know the hand of the Lord, that it is mighty: that ye might fear the Lord your God for ever.”

Joshua has just lead the children of Israel across the Jordan River into the Promised Land after 40 years of wandering in the wilderness.  Joshua says, “Let’s erect a monument, a memorial for the glory of God. Let’s take these stones and set them up. There is a generation coming up behind us who didn’t see what the Lord did because they weren’t here, but they need to know about it. They need to know that God is the same yesterday, today and forever. So when they see this memorial—these stones—it will make them ask the question, ‘What does this mean?’ When your children ask that question, it is going to give you an opportunity to tell them that God has done something great in this place and that what God has done before, He is able to do again.”

The same is true for our ministry.  God has done (and is doing) some things that some of our children didn’t see; some of our future members didn’t see – but, they need to know what God did.  And they also need to know that if God could do it then – He can do it now.

“Well brother Joe, what does this stone mean?”  “Oh, that’s where God answered my pastors prayer for 15 years that he and I would one day be serving in the ministry together.”

“Well, what does this stone mean?”  “Oh, that one is where we prayed for ZERO rent, and God laid it on someone’s heart to donate 6.8 acres to the church.”

“And what does this stone mean?”  “That one is where God gave a precious little baby girl to a family we have been praying several years for.”

“What does this one mean?”  “That’s where one of our family members with stage 3 cancer was declared cancer free.”

Folks, God is doing a great work in our church, and in churches and ministries all around the world.  Many have not seen what God did, so it is important for you and I to build a memorial, a lasting legacy, so that generations to come will know what God did – and if He could do it for us – He can do it for them!