Stay Together (Nehemiah Week 4)

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Nehemiah  •  Sermon  •  Submitted   •  Presented   •  18:41
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Nehemiah Week 4 Nehemiah 4:4-6 Opposition is in Opportunity Equip yourslelf with God’s word. Discover your purpose through Prayer

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Hey everybody tonight. I thought I would try something different. This is a chance for you to just the listen. Two part 4 of Arnie and my series and then on Thursday to days from now I will record part 5 which will then catches up in this Nehemiah series for Saturday Night Part 6 or week six including series on Nehemiah. We've been going through this book the last month and we walk finish strong and preparation as we get ready to launch a new series starting on Easter which is for us April 20th. Last week I had mentioned to you. about the movie The greatest showman and I had mentioned to you that I had washed it recently and I know I'm behind the times tonight. I want to Mission to you another movie that sticks out to me and that is the movie called. The Gladiator some of you might be familiar with it. Some of you may not came out a while ago, but it was about a gladiator named Maximus who was unfortunately faced a lot of opposition. I'm from some very bad people who did not like him and what he stood for and he got put into a unfortunate situation that he couldn't control and he made the best of it and it's a great great movie is also great great soundtracks if you're into soundtracks, there's a specific quote that I want to share with you. I'm from the movie and it says this whatever comes out of these Gates, we've got a better chance of survival if we work together. Do you understand if we stay together we survive Salat times in we face opposition in our lives We tend to do for different things we get angry and we begin to doubt. We let fear take over and we isolate. Now right now, I want you to ask yourself this question. Where in your life are you facing opposition? And how do you typically respond to opposition when it's in front of you when you're going through it? religious back to Nehemiah We're week one. We talked about how Nehemiah responded to some really hard knew that he received. And we two we talked about after he received the bad news and responded through prayer. What did she do next and how we learned how to step out? And to not let fear stop us but instead to step through those fear doors in our lives. week 3 we learned about our passions that were all gifted in different ways. And no matter what our giftings are. We have the opportunity to use those gifts to further God's kingdom and we asked the question. What are your passions begin to think about how you can connect that passion to God and for his kingdom. this week tonight we want to talk about the power of staying together and what can happen when we do so Sonia Amaya chapter 4 is where we're going to be tonight. Verses 4 through 6 is The scripture that I will focus on primarily, but before I do that, I asked highly encourage you to read chapter 4 on your own read go back and read chapters 1 through 3, actually if you never have Reddit start tonight, it'll take you 20 minutes. Do not long. They're they're very powerful chapter one is is more of the prayer chapter 2 is the the opportunity he gets from his prayer chapter 3 is gaining the resources. He'll need to accomplish his purpose which he discovered a through prayer time, which is pretty darn cool and we're going to actually recap that little bit tonight as well because I just as we talked about Week 1 This whole book is focused on me and Maya and his response to things and how we always praise. It's such a simple but powerful.

Tool so back to tonight what happens in this chapter is Nehemiah faces some really hard opposition from two men that were reference back in chapter 1 and chapter 2 that automatically did not like this idea that me and my had to go back to Jerusalem and all these walls and these two men begin to Rally people to go and stop it and also rally people to make it look foolish, right? So they want to stop at two ways. They wanted to stop it by mocking Nehemiah and his group and they also wanted to stop it with a physical altercation with Rumblings of that. They would come and attack them if they did not stop the project. I'm in and also because of that opposition is also begin to spread around town as well as people basically same and stop what you're doing. It's not worth it. It's not going to work. We don't need this and it just created a lot of turmoil. But as always. Nehemiah has an interesting and Powerful response and I want to read that responds to you. I want you to focus more on their response and not so much on the word that you pray for these words are very personable and Powerful for that moment. Right? So don't get caught up in what he prays get caught up in the fact that he does pray. Okay, here's what it says. Then I pray this is me and my sprayer when he could constantly is facing opposition hear us our God for we are being mocked major scoffing fall back on their own heads and made a themselves become captives in a foreign land. Do not ignore their guilt. Do not blot out their sins for they have provoked you too angry here in front of the builders at last the wall was completed to half its height around the entire city for the people had worked with enthusiasm.

So you see Nehemiah crying out to God once again, and as I've already said multiple times the cool sport about this book. Is Nehemiah discovered his purpose through prayer? So many of us are constantly trying to find our purpose. It may even be seasonal the we find ourselves in a funk or discouraged or you know full of fear and most the time it comes back to because we're not seeking out the right things as something as simple as being in prayer means we're in the presence of our savior and that leaves the purpose. Back to where we want to focus on tonight. Here's that are cool thing that we learn in verse 14 and I'll read to you. Verse 14 says then I looked over the situation and I called together the Nobles and the rest of the people and said to them don't be afraid of the enemy. Remember the Lord who is great and glorious and fan fight for your brothers your sons or daughters your wife and your homes. Don't Be Afraid remember the Lord those are powerful powerful words what's cool about this as he talks about fighting for your home right he specifically talking about the opposition that might be on its way that they could face at any moment, okay, but for us We can take away from that is he is challenging and reminded his people to remember God. He's also letting them know as well as you as you continue to read. In chapter 4 that they need equip themselves. And he asked people that are on his team that are on this project on this Mission with him to begin to equip themselves with swords. Love you read the rest of this chapter. You'll be you'll see that everyone that was involved in this project doesn't matter who they were how old they were where they what they were trained. They all carried swords on their side and what they begin to do was Nehemiah and whoever else was the project manager at on the shift right proper terminology for today would carry a trumpet and if there was a trumpet sounded that mean assert that that would mean a certain section was in danger and they would they would run to that section. And in fight for their people now. Back to what matters in this time cuz we're not we're not talking about responding with with with violence or anger. Don't get me wrong. But Ephesians 6:17 you fast-forward to the letters the Epistles. I'm in the New Testament Paul's words to us was to equip ourselves. Right and he gave a list of things and one of them was the sword but what he meant by that was the Bible God's words rights equip yourself with God's words. So the Bible when was the last time you cut yourself with God's word. It is powerful. I'm it is special. It's life-changing read it yourself with it. Right let that be your sword for today. So when you're facing that opposition you're in the presence of God do prayer you discovering your purpose and more importantly, you're discovering God Warren Moore threw the sword which is his word. Eminem verse 20 says this in chapter 4 when you hear the blast of the trumpet rushed to wherever it is sounding then our God will fight for us. So that was a reference to what I already already said nehemiah's plan was hate because of the trumpet get to this area and let's fight. So back to the question that I asked you at the beginning of this talk. What opposition are you currently up against right now in your life? Turn to prayer turn to the one who gives you your purpose. When we face opposition from others do not isolate do not turn to anger. Don't let doubt take over your heart. Don't let fear stop you from stepping through that fear door and most importantly as we learn about in chapter 4 also in chapter 3

don't isolate. Build a team around you supply support system. People you can trust people that you can share things with so they can pray with you. People that you can just hang out with and do life with people that you can fight with and find a common thing with those people and fight for something. What is your what are you passionate about? Right? What is your purpose? Right? Those are things you need to fight for? So for us if you're listening to this for the first time because I you come to the Gathering or maybe you just listen to this because you you see the link and you clicked on it. This question is for you for everybody. But more specifically it's also for the people who call the Gathering their home. How can we at the Gathering begin to fight for one another the really important question think about it something that I'm trying to get better at as far as when I'm trying to leave people the right way here at the Gathering here's how we can fight for each other we can fight through each other through prayer. Crochet, but powerful. It's even more powerful when you actually do it. Here's how we do that. Get into a community group. We started on Saturday night in place of our normal Gathering. We met and homes and small circles. We believe that life happens. Life change excuse me happens in circles not rows that shared prayer. Leads to trust with each other it leads to a bridge to one another because when you begin to be vulnerable, that's when you will transform. We all shared prayer request the other night at our first community group that we launched. I'm hoping that you remember some of them and I'm hoping that will we will get those to you so you can continue to look them over throughout the week over the series that Nehemiah we talk about two different ways of praying we talked about Praying with with 12 minutes in mind because we believe that he pray for for 12 minutes a day for up to eight weeks. Your brain literally changes its science proven. And then also we also believe an arrow prayers. We talked about that week week to those quick 32nd 15 seconds one sentence 2 sentence one word prayers that you say in certain moments and also just throughout your day. Pray for people find a circle find a community group get engaged quit living by yourself. Quit isolating yourself. Quit living in fear. Quit letting doubt take over start living life and circle find your purpose through prayer find your purpose through being a part of something that's bigger than yourself.

So the last thing I'll say is this. Thursday I will continue our series week 5 of this six-week Adventure in the book of Nehemiah. And then that will take us into Saturday night at our normal Gathering space and time at Faith Tri-Cities at 6 p.m. And we are only two weeks away from Easter everybody. I want to remind you why we're so excited for Easter because we all know it's a great opportunity to invite people. They're going to say yes because it's Easter here's what we're doing food trucks dinner and dessert we're going to give away a couples overnight stay at that will include everything you need for that night and we're having Easter egg hunt for kids. We're going to do free family photos. The cool thing is all of its free the food the photos the couple's overnight give away. So here's my question for you regarding that night. You got two weeks who you bringing. Who's on your heart when I know when I say who's the one person or the one couple and needs to hear about the hope that Jesus gives us in the hope that Jesus demonstrated through why we celebrate Easter. Let me pray for you. But before I do let me remind you of what we've learned tonight. Opposition is real. Sometimes people are going to oppose whatever you're trying to accomplish because they're haters other times. It's the devil at work plain and simple. No matter what one. It is equipped yourself with God's word equip yourself with prayer. Don't look at opposition as a wall look at opposition as an opportunity to run through that wall right to step through that feared or Jesus. We love you, Thank you Father for everybody right now who's chasing something on my prey father whatever that is if they're chasing that when they faced opposition because it's not that they will remember me and Maya will remember how use you use Nehemiah beat the opposition that he faced and he did it by being in your presence through prayer and by being in community, so I pray that people that hear this and that call the Gathering their home and for all those who are yet? Have you had to come to the Gathering even that they will begin to make their lives? About living in community and by living it through prayer father. We love you. We thank you for the freedom we have with you in the peace that comes with having a relationship with you your name. I pray amen. I will see and talk to everybody on Thursday and then Saturday we will finish this series up. Have a great rest of the week.

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