Nehemiah 2:1-18

We'll be looking at this today at chapter 2, verses 1-18.

Join me in a word of prayer.

Father God, we recognize this morning that this is your word.

!

And you spoke it to us in various ways and different means,

but all of it was inspired by your spirit and it is sufficient for us.

And I pray, Father, this day that you'll help us to relish it,

to appreciate what it is that it has to say to us in our time now

as we're studying this story of Nehemiah and what was happening then.

It has implications for us now.

And I pray that you'll help us to take these things to heart.

We pray this in Christ's name. Amen.

So, just to give us this kind of a summary up to this point,

we've worked our way through chapter 1 in the past couple of weeks here.

We have seen that Nehemiah is the cupbearer to King Artaxerxes.

He is in the Persian Empire.

And we're now at kind of the tail end of the remnant of Israel

that had been taken away during Babylonian captivity, being taken back.

They've been able to travel back now to Jerusalem.

And word reaches him by way of his brother that the city is still in shambles.

The wall is still broken down.

We can see this through the beginning of the chapter through verse 3.

And when he hears this, he sits down and he weeps and he mourns for days.

Not simply because his people, his nation is in shambles,

but more so because his God is being ridiculed.

Because God's visible glory on earth at this time was the state of his nation.

The state of Israel.

And Nehemiah then launches into a prayer.

And that's what we looked at together last week and the very nature of this prayer.

Today I want to show you in verse 2 some themes that are kind of showing back up here again

from when we studied in Romans chapter 15, the life of Paul.

Romans 15 · chapter mention

And those themes are prayer, planning, and providence.

Prayer, planning, and providence.

And we looked last week at length at this prayer that Nehemiah prayed.

Now, recognize that he was praying for approximately four months.

Fasting and praying continually.

This was a huge task ahead of him.

Not only the task of building the wall,

but even getting the permission to go and build the wall.

Obtaining the means necessary for the building of the wall.

It was a balancing act there, wasn't it?

It was a massive, massive task ahead of him.

I misspoke a little bit last week and said that King Artaxerxes had issued an edict 20 years previous.

It wasn't quite that.

It was about 13 years prior.

To stop the building of the wall.

Within the seventh year of his reign,

word had reached him that the Israelites were beginning to build the wall again around Jerusalem.

And he issued an edict saying,

You will not build this wall.

No glory will go to your God because all glory belongs to me as the king.

So here, the cupbearer, lowly Nehemiah,

is going to face the king and ask him to reverse his edict.

Which was a big deal.

We change our mind all the time.

I'll tell you all the time that I was wrong then.

We're going to do something different now.

Kings didn't do that in these days.

So it was an admission of their own frailty.

Kings were worshipped as deities.

They were gods.

In their own minds, they were gods.

So if they were to go back on their own word,

they were admitting that they have faults.

In addition to that, we kind of get this idea.

I think some people read chapter 2 and they think that Nehemiah and the king were kind of buddies.

You'll read that often the cupbearer to the king kind of became endeared to him

because he risked his life every time the king drank wine.

And kings drank a lot of wine.

And they often became counselors to them.

But the position stayed the same.

The king was still the king.

And the cupbearer, the cupbearer.

They weren't buddies.

He didn't walk in and stride up onto the platform and sit down next to him next to the throne and say,

Hey, my people are kind of in a rough spot.

I'd love to go help them out.

What do you think?

He had to go face this king.

He had to go present something to him which was to say,

You were faulty in your original edict.

And I want to go build something that's much more glorious than you.

I want to steal from you your glory.

This was the presentation he was to make before the king.

So for four months, he fasts and he prays.

Presented to you a Latin term, sine qua non, without which nothing.

He fully understood for the task ahead of him that if God was not with him in it,

through his prayer, nothing would be accomplished.

And we saw that his prayer was persistent.

That it was saturated by God's character.

That it was motivated by God's promises.

And that it was humble and intercessory.

He admitted both his guilt and the guilt of the nation.

I exhorted you last week that we ought to be more patient in our prayers.

Psalm 27, 14 says,

Wait for the Lord, be strong, and let your hearts take courage.

Wait for the Lord.

Psalm 130, 5 and 6,

I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I hope.

My soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen for the morning.

More than watchmen for the morning.

And this was the way in which he prepares himself for what we're about to see happen here.

And I promise we're going to read the text together.

But this is the stage being set.

So we see the prayer on his part for this task that's ahead of him.

So let's begin reading in verse 1 of chapter 2.

And I'm going to stop along the way and bring some commentary into this as we go through it.

And then we'll go back and visit the themes.

Verse 1.

In the month of Nisan, in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, when wine was before him, I took up the wine and gave it to the king.

Now I had not been sad in his presence.

And the king said to me,

Why is your face sad, seeing you are not sick?

This is nothing but sadness of the heart.

Then I was very much afraid.

I said to the king,

Let the king live forever.

Why should not my face be sad when the city, the place of my father's graves, lives in ruins, and its gates have been destroyed by fire?

Now, recognize that as he's approaching the king,

What a great time for God to orchestrate this conversation.

Because he has now tasted the wine.

He's shown how faithfully he's willing to serve the king.

And the king is now endeared to him in this way.

Yet, as I talked previously about their position,

it was a very dangerous thing to be sad in the presence of the king.

If you were sad in the presence of a king, it was to say to the king,

The way you're ruling is not ample for my joy.

And kings wanted people in their presence to think that they hung the moon.

Everything is great in your kingdom.

We are so, so very happy with all that's going on because you rule over everything.

So to be sad in the face of the king could potentially lead to beheading.

Just imagine some of the conversation that may have happened as the report of this went out.

Somebody said,

Can you believe what Nehemiah said to the king?

He was sad in his presence and this is what he said?

And that the other buddy would have said,

Oh man, when is he getting beheaded?

I'd love to watch that.

And they go,

The king granted him his wish.

Can you believe it?

What a shocking thing this would have been to have taken place here.

So Nehemiah was afraid, we see there in verse 2.

Because the king recognized his sorrow.

Recognized that he wasn't content with the way things were.

And I want to believe that as Nehemiah had the scriptures to this point,

He took heart in things like Psalm 56, 3 and 4.

When I am afraid, I put my trust in you.

In God whose word I praise, in God I trust.

I shall not be afraid.

What can flesh do to me?

So here's a man that has been communing with God in prayer for the past four months.

And he's willing to be sad in the presence of the king to make known his request.

Now verse 3, you'll notice that he talks about the tombs of his fathers and the gates.

A tomb was a place of honor where respect was shown for the dead.

And a place that the living hoped to one day join their ancestors.

Recognizing the Jews knew there was an eternal state.

But they wanted their bodies to be laid along with their ancestors.

And the gates were emblematic of the life of the city.

This is where traffic happened.

Many meetings happened.

Courts were adjourned at gates.

So the city gates being burned meant that the people had no community.

There was no livelihood happening in this place.

Verse 4.

Then the king said to me,

What are you requesting?

So I prayed to the God of heaven and I said to the king,

If it pleases the king,

And if your servant has found favor in your sight,

That you send me to Judah, to the city of my father's graves,

That I may rebuild it.

Now notice again the pause here for prayer.

And some scholars have suggested that he went away,

Spent more time in prayer,

And returned with this plan.

And I don't believe so.

I have no way of knowing that for sure.

But it seems ludicrous to me that the king would have granted him permission to do that.

He asked him a question.

He wanted an answer to the question.

And I believe that in this case,

Nehemiah did a quick little,

Now God?

Like, this thing we've been praying about,

This vision you give me for what needs to be done,

Should I speak up now?

You better put your hand over my mouth,

Because I'm about to say it.

I think this is the prayer that Nehemiah prays at this point.

And I believe Nehemiah would have understood completely what Paul meant in 1 Thessalonians 5.17

When he said,

Pray without ceasing.

This continual conversation happening with the Lord.

So when the king asked the question,

He said,

Now God, go?

Is this the moment we've been waiting for?

God said yes.

And off he goes into this conversation with the king.

Nehemiah is often considered the Old Testament counterpart to Paul.

Because he had such a grand, holy ambition,

Just as Paul did to take the gospel to the Gentiles.

And he had such a beautiful life of prayers.

I've said before, there are ten prayers recorded in the thirteen chapters of Nehemiah.

So he prays.

Verse 6,

And the king said to me,

The queen sitting beside him,

How long will you be gone?

And when will you return?

So it pleased the king to send me when I had given him a time.

Now just an interesting note,

I believe the introductory paper I gave you,

This note saying that the queen was sitting beside him

Probably meant

That there was some endearing quality

That had been passed down

For the Jews.

Recall the story of Esser.

Esther was likely

King Artaxerxes' stepmother.

She was married to Xerxes.

And she would have had great influence over the current queen.

She would have taken her under her wing

And probably passed along

A love for the Jewish people.

So just an interesting note for you there.

Verse 7,

And I said to the king,

If it pleases the king,

Let letters be given me

To the governors of the province beyond the river,

That they may let me pass through

Until I come to Judah.

And a letter to Asaph,

The keeper of the king's forest,

That he may give me timber

To make beams for the gates

Of the fortress of the temple,

And for the wall of the city,

And for the house that I shall occupy.

And the king granted me what I asked,

For the good hand of my God was upon me.

Then I came to the governors

Of the province beyond the river,

And gave them the king's letters.

Now the king had sent with me

Officers of the army and horsemen.

But when Sambalat the Horonite

And Tobiah the Ammonite's servant heard this,

This pleased them greatly

That someone had come to seek the welfare

Of the people of Israel.

So when the king asks him what he needs,

Seems that he cashes all of his chips in,

And he asks for letters for safe passage.

It's about 800 miles distance

That he had to travel from where he was

In Susa, where they were wintering,

To Israel.

It would have taken them about three months,

And there would have been a lot of peril

Along the way,

If they didn't have the permission of the king.

If the king hadn't given them a pass,

So to speak.

But he goes even a step beyond that,

Because the people needed the resources

By which to rebuild.

And forests at this time

Were highly, highly guarded.

Wood was a high commodity in this region,

As if you've ever seen photos or traveled

In the Middle East,

You can understand that very thing.

So not only does Nehemiah ask for permission

To go to relinquish his duty as the cupbearer,

To go rebuild something

That's going to compete with the glory of the king,

But he also asks for the king to pay for it.

He asks for letters

To go to Asaph,

Who governs his property

To get wood for the rebuilding.

It's a bold, bold,

Very bold thing he did.

And beyond this,

Beyond what he asks,

You'll notice in verse 9 and 10

That the king sends with him an armed guard

To protect him to that degree,

Because the governors were not pleased

With the work that was going to be done.

Verse 11,

So I went to Jerusalem

And was there three days.

So we fast forward this three months journey.

So I went to Jerusalem

And was there three days.

Then I arose in the night,

I and a few men with me.

And I told no one what my God

Had put into my heart to do for Jerusalem.

There was no animal with me

But the one on which I rode.

I went out by night,

By the valley gate,

To the dragon spring,

And to the dung gate.

And I inspected the walls of Jerusalem

That were broken down,

And its gates had been destroyed by fire.

Then I went on to the fountain gate,

And to the king's pool,

But there was no room for the animal

That was under me to pass.

Then I went up in the night

By the valley,

And inspected the wall,

And I turned back

And entered by the valley gate,

And so returned.

And the officials did not know

Where I had gone,

Or what I was doing.

And I had not yet told the Jews,

The priests,

The nobles,

The officials,

And the rest,

Who were to do the work.

So once he gets there,

He sets out,

He spends three days

Making a very careful plan.

In fact,

Travels by night

To inspect the work

That's ahead of them.

The record here

Of these gates

And the sections of the wall

Are of interest,

But only historical interest.

They really add no weight

Or bearing

To the text itself.

But it does help us see

That the record is accurate.

That the way the city was built,

The state that it was in

At this time,

Even the fact that he had to

Get off of the animal

And travel through a narrow area

Gives record that there's

Some accountability here.

There's legitimacy

To the text itself.

So he goes out

And he surveys

And he plans.

Verse 17,

Then I said to them,

He addresses the people,

You see the trouble we are in,

How Jerusalem lies in ruins

With its gates burned.

Come,

Let us build the wall of Jerusalem

That we may no longer suffer

Derision.

And I told them

Of the hand of my God

That had been upon me for good

And also of the words

That the king had spoken to me.

And they said,

Let us rise up

And build.

So they strengthened their hands

For the good work.

Now notice here again,

He addresses them

In verse 17,

He says,

That we may no longer

Suffer derision.

And I want you to always remember

That the state of the people,

They connected their state

To the glory of God.

So he's not saying,

Let's build this for us.

We don't want to be ridiculed.

Let's do this for us.

When he spoke these words to them,

They recognized fully

What he was saying.

Let's do this

So we're not ashamed

Because when we're ashamed,

Our God is ashamed.

And then it says,

They put their hands

To the good work.

Means they became

Resolute

To build the wall.

And the picture in my mind

Of this is when you're

Getting ready to do something

Hard with your hands.

So you're going to

Dig a hole with pulse hole diggers

And a guy cracks his knuckles

And gets ready for that

Kind of a work.

Or a boxer who tapes his hands up

And gets ready to go.

You're going to have to do

A lot of dissuading

To keep that guy

From getting into a fight

Once that happens.

Right?

They were resolute.

They got themselves ready.

They strengthened themselves

For the good work

That was ahead of them.

So we saw already

Nehemiah's prayer

Leading up to this

In the midst of his request

To the king.

He also planned.

Three ways he planned.

He knew

That he needed to go.

God had directed him

In his time of prayer

To know that he was

The one that was meant

To go back

And lead the people

In the rebuilding.

Remember he's a three month journey

Eight hundred miles away.

Could he have not

Written a letter?

Dispatched a plan?

Sent it along?

And had somebody else

Build it?

Certainly God could have

Reconstructed the wall

In that way

And used Nehemiah

To that degree.

But Nehemiah knew

He was the one

That was meant to go.

To be so bold

As to ask the king

To let him relinquish his duty

And leave.

He knew

It was him.

It's in verse five.

Verse six.

He knew how long

He needed to go for.

He must have had

A very clear plan

For the work

That was ahead of him.

He had it to see the wall.

But he was able

To give the king an answer

As to when he would return.

And in verses seven and eight

He knew what provisions

He needed from the king

As well.

He had already plotted it out.

He had thought about the journey.

Once he got there

He thought about the things

That were going to be available

For the rebuilding.

And he knew what to request

Of the king.

So the planning was

Very very important here.

But the planning is not devoid

Of the providence of God.

Rejoice John MacArthur said

Making sensible

And careful plans

For serving God

Does not conflict

With reliance

On his providence.

And reliance

On his providence

Does not excuse

Failure to plan.

Notice

In the last half

Of verse eight

He says

And the king granted me

What I asked

He granted me my plan

Why?

For the good hand

Of my God

Was upon me.

So he prayed

And he planned

But he fully recognized

The providence of God

Which is necessary

For any work

Any holy ambition

To come to pass.

So let's look some more

At this providence.

We see it again

In verse 18.

It says

And I told them

Of the hand of my God

That had been upon me

For good.

He encourages the people

To do the work

This work

That they had been

Ordered not to do

Thirteen years previous.

This work

That had yet

To be completed

For the 90 years

That they've been

Back now

In Jerusalem.

They were encouraged

By his report

Of his presentation

To the king.

They would have said

The king did what?

You're here with letters

Protection

An armed guard?

You got his credit card

To get wood

For this building?

Incredible.

It was an encouragement

To them.

Proverbs

They had these

Proverbs by the way

These scriptures.

Proverbs 16

3

Commit your work

To the Lord

And your plans

Will be established.

16

9

The heart of man

Plans his way

But the Lord

Establishes

His steps.

Proverbs 19

21

Many are the plans

In the mind of a man

But it is the purpose

Of the Lord

That will stand.

Nehemiah

Certainly knew this

As he set a course

As he thought through

What needed to be done.

How foolish would it have been

For Nehemiah

To stand in front of the king

And the king says

What do you need?

What are you requesting of me?

Nehemiah goes

I don't know.

Can I have a little bit of time

To think about it?

Would the king have responded

Favorably to that?

Probably not.

He would have said you fool.

Probably would have beheaded him

In this case.

He had a plan.

He knew when it was time

To press on

And act.

He had it all

Plotted out.

A couple of weeks ago

We had one of our

Project Grow outings

And we did our

Annual boat race

Where we bring together

A bunch of

Junk cups

And styrofoam plates

And things of that nature

And we build boats

And we race them

Down Yuhula Creek

Just for fun.

It's always a good time though.

We always have a blast.

The whole boat

Has to cross the finish line

So that's always the joys

They come down in pieces.

These boats have no power sources.

They usually have some sails.

Some really creative people

Put sails on them

But it's never windy enough

Really to propel the boat

Down the river.

So all of these boats

Are kind of victim

If you'll allow

To the current.

Right?

We line people up

Across the creek

And I always try to get people

To be smart about

Where they put the boat in

The current.

You know?

Because there's logs

And things that are going to

Cause them to get caught up.

But ultimately

Once you let the boat go

You have no control of the boat

The boat just moves its way down

And the boat certainly has

No control of its own.

God's providence is like that

An undercurrent providence

That carries us along.

Now in real life

A boat has no power

Out on the ocean

It's just going to get tossed

To and fro

By the waves

Until you put it under power.

You put a boat under power

You have it move faster

Than the water around it

And the rudder then actually

Has some ability to turn.

The same is true on a river

If you're paddling a canoe

If you're just drifting in a canoe

You can't turn the canoe

You speed the canoe up a little bit

And you can use the paddles

To steer the boat

Down the river.

In our lives

We have power

We have minds

We have ability

But recognize that even that

Is a gift of God.

Even that is providential.

So everything we do

There is an undercurrent

That carries us along.

Romans 8

28-31

And we know that for those

Who love God

All things work together

For good.

All things.

No matter what you do

Or anyone does to you

All things.

No matter what major calamity happens

No matter what economy fails

Or mudslide goes down

Or tornado comes

And rips your house apart

All things.

Work together for good.

For those who are called

According to his purpose.

For those whom he foreknew

He also predestined

To be conformed

To the image of a son.

And there's our definition of good.

Work together for good

To be conformed

To the image of a son.

In order that he might be

The firstborn among many brothers.

And those whom he predestined

He also called.

And those whom he called

He also justified.

And those whom he justified

He also glorified.

What then shall we say

To these things?

If God is for us

Who can be against us?

The undercurrent of providence.

And so the encouragement in that

Is to strengthen your hands

For the good work.

Why not?

The providence of God

Is presented to us.

We know that his goodness

Is upon the good work.

Strengthen your hands

For the good work.

That would bring us back

To the Old Testament again.

Again a story

That Nehemiah

And the people he was speaking to

Would have been very aware of.

Genesis chapter 39

Genesis 39 · chapter mention

We see the story of Joseph

Being sold into slavery.

And he is now a slave

In the house of Potiphar.

In verse 2

It says the Lord was with Joseph

And he became a successful man.

And he was in the house

Of his Egyptian master.

His master saw the Lord

And the Lord caused

All that he did

To succeed in his hands.

So Joseph found favor

In his sight

And attended him

And he made him

Overseer of his house

And put him in charge

Of all that he had.

Verse 3

The Lord was with him

And the Lord caused

All that he did

To succeed in his hands.

Later

We know Potiphar's wife

Tries to be with him.

Accuses him

Of trying to be with her.

Potiphar has him

Thrown into prison.

Beginning in verse 20

Of chapter 39

And Joseph's master

Took him

And put him

Into the prison.

The place where

The king's prisoners

Were confined.

And he was there

In prison.

But the Lord

Was with Joseph

And showed him

Steadfast love

And gave him favor

In the sight

Of the keeper

Of the prison.

And the keeper

Of the prison

Put Joseph in charge

Of all the prisoners

Who were in the prison.

Whatever was done there

He was the one

Who did it.

The keeper of the prison

Payed no attention

To anything that was

In Joseph's charge

Because the Lord

Was with him

And whatever he did

The Lord

Made it succeed.

The keeper of the prison

Gave him charge

Of a section of the prison

And said

I don't have to worry

About that anymore

Because Joseph the prisoner

Has got it handled.

He'll take care

He'll keep everything

In order.

Right?

Because the Lord

Made it succeed.

And of course

If we go on

In that story

We see Joseph

Having visions

Being put in charge

Of all of the crops

Of Egypt

Storing them up

To save the Egyptians

And later

We find out

The Jews

From famine.

Right?

We see God's providence

As an undercurrent

Working through the story

And I believe that

The people here

Would have known this

And they're seeing

Evidence of God's providence

In the working

Through Nehemiah

To come back and build

So they strengthen

Their hands

For the work.

Need some further

Encouragement?

I hope not

But you're getting it

Anyway.

Colossians 1.16

Paul, speaking of Christ

Says,

For by Him

All things were created

In heaven and on earth

Visible and invisible

Whether thrones

Or dominions

Or rulers

Or authorities

All things were created

Through Him

And for Him

Now, catch

I always

Grab hold of the beginning

And I grab hold of the end

For by Him

All things were created

That's awesome

All things were created

Through Him

And for Him

But notice the list

Of things that were created

By Him

And for Him

All things in heaven and earth

Visible and invisible

Whether thrones

Or dominions

Or rulers

Or authorities

Reigns over

All of those things

Certainly

In the case of

Artaxerxes

We see that God

Shapes

The heart of this man

To go back

On His own edict

To basically say

To His people

I was a fool then

To send off

A people

To build a fortress

Against Him

And His reign

To rob

Some of the glory

That He felt

Was due Him

The name

Artaxerxes

Means

Righteous

Ruler

And we can certainly

See here

That He was ruled

By the

Righteous ruler

Jesus Christ

All the rulers

Of this world

Those that we face

Today

Are ultimately

And finally ruled

By Jesus Christ

They were created

By Him

And

For Him

Is this true

Of our president

It certainly

Is

How about

Of Kim Jong-un

Right

We probably

Could label him

One of the most

Evil men

Alive now

He's the

Succeder to his

Father

Kim Jong-il

North Korea

If you know this

Right

You know he's not

The president

Of North Korea

The presidency

Belongs to

His grandfather

Who apparently

Will be the

President forever

His father

Is the supreme

Leader

Who will be

The supreme

Leader

Forever

So

Kim Jong-un

Has had to come up

With some of his

Own titles

And in seven

Months time

He's come up

With six

You ready for them

He is the

Marshal of the

Democratic People's

Republic of Korea

The first chairman

Of the National

Defense Commission

First secretary

Of the Workers

Party

Chairman of the

Party's Central

Military Commission

Member of the

Presidium of the

Party's Political

Bureau

And supreme

Commander of the

Korean People's

Army

This is Kim Jong-un

He is ruled

By the Son of

God

The right arm

Of the Lord

The Lion of Judah

The Great I Am

No title

No matter how

Lofty

Will ever

Place a man

In charge of

The greatest man

The one who

Walked this earth

Fully human

And fully

Divine

The one that we

Call Jesus Christ

He reigns

Supreme

Over all

So here we

Have

The Jews

Living in

Shambles

Their walls

Torn down

The glory of

God defaced

In this way

And they hear

A report

Of the providence

Of God

God working

Through

Nehemiah

And they're

Encouraged

To strengthen

Their hands

For the work

We're going to

See the work

They do

It's incredible

They complete

This wall

Hasn't been

Completed

In 90

Years

They do

It in 52

Days

They work

Tirelessly

We'll talk

About that

Next week

An incredible

Incredible

Effort

And they're

Encouraged

To do this

By the

Providence

Of God

How much

More should

We

Be encouraged

To work

Because we

Now have

The full

Revelation

Of the

Providence

Of God

We have

Jesus

Christ

The finisher

Of all

Of that

All the

Promises

Of God

Are yes

And amen

In Jesus

Christ

We should be

All the

Much more

Encouraged

So let me draw

Out the connection

For you

As we talk

About these

People

Who are

Building a

Wall

Visible

Glory of God

On earth

What is now

The visible

Display

Of God's

Glory

On this

Earth

It's me

And it's you

It's the

Church

This is

Redeemed

People

1 Peter

2

1

Let's go

And turn

There

With me

It's too

Much goodness

Here for you

Just to listen

To me

Say it

1 Peter

2

1

Peter's giving

Instruction

To the way

These people

Ought to live

What their lives

Should look like

So put away

All malice

And all deceit

And hypocrisy

And envy

And all slander

Like newborn infants

Long for the pure

Spiritual mick

Though by it

You may grow up

Into salvation

If indeed

You have tasted

That the Lord

Is good

As you come

To him

A living stone

Rejected by men

But in the sight

Of God

Chosen and precious

You yourselves

Like living stones

Are being built up

As a spiritual house

There's the key

To this

Whole connection

Right

As you come to him

Being Christ

Right

You're able to put off

These things

This type of living

Long for the pure

Spiritual milk

Jesus is the

Saver

Of God

He is the

Very

Flavor

That the Lord

Is good

So as you come

To him

To Christ

A living stone

Rejected by men

But in the sight

Of God

Chosen and precious

You yourselves

Like living stones

Are being built up

As a spiritual house

To be a holy priesthood

To offer spiritual

Sacrifices

Acceptable to God

Through Jesus Christ

For it stands

In scripture

Behold

I'm allaying

In Zion

A stone

A cornerstone

Chosen and precious

And whomever

Believes in him

Will not be put

To shame

So the honor

Is for you

Who believe

But for those

Who do not

Believe

The stone

That the builders

Rejected

Has become

The cornerstone

And a stone

Of stumbling

And a rock

Of offense

They stumble

Because they

Disobey the word

As they were

Destined

To do

So we're

Being built up

Into a spiritual

House

We're not

Building

Houses

It's not

The point

Of us

To build

Elaborate

Grand

Buildings

To God

It's us

We're being

Built up

As a spiritual

House

And for those

Of us

Who place

Our faith

In Christ

Jesus

Is the

Cornerstone

And we

Will not

Be put

To shame

Verse 9

But you

Are a chosen

Race

A royal

Priesthood

A holy

Nation

A people

For his

Own possession

That you

May proclaim

The excellencies

Of him

Who called

You out

Of darkness

Into his

Marvelous

Light

There is

The work

We may

Proclaim

The excellencies

Of him

Who has

Called us

Out of

Darkness

And into

His

Marvelous

Light

Once you

Were not

A people

But now

You are

God's

People

Once you

Had not

Received

Mercy

But now

You have

Received

Mercy

Beloved

I urge

You as

Soldiers

And exiles

To abstain

From the

Passions

Of the

Flesh

Which wage

War

Against your

Soul

Keep your

Conduct

Among the

Gentiles

Honorable

So that

When they

Speak

Against you

As evildoers

They may

See your

Good deeds

And glorify

God

On the

Day of

Visitation

This is

The work

That's

Before

Us

Have

We seen

The providence

Of God

I sure

Hope so

We see it

In the story

Of Nehemiah

We see it

In the personal

Work of

Jesus Christ

We're given

The promises

Of scripture

Whether or

Not you

Feel it

Day to

Day

You're being

Carried along

On the

Providence

Current

It's happening

Even now

You're here

For a very

Specific reason

Not just by

Happenstance

Did you show

Up today

God brought

You along

By his

Providence

To be here

Today

So do

Do you

Have a

Plan

I'll make

This

Really

Simple

Do you

Have a

Plan

For this

Week

About how

It is

That you're

Going to

Proclaim

The excellencies

Of God

That you're

Going to

Live out

Righteous

Lives

In front

Of

Evil

Doers

So they

May glorify

God

On the

Day of

Visitation

If you're

Part of

A community

Group

This is

The week

That we're

Not meeting

In order

To meet

With our

Neighbors

Do you

Have a

Plan yet

For who

You're

Going to

Meet

With

Who

You're

Going to

Work

Toward

Sharing

The gospel

With

You should

Plan

You should

Set up

Time

Specific

Times

To meet

With people

To build

Relationships

Find strategies

For turning

Conversations

To spiritual

Ones

That you

Might share

The goodness

Of our

Lord

Make

Plans

Do you

Know that

Our church

Has a

Plan

We call

It the

Plan

Of

Action

For

2013

Here

It is

Some of

You may

Or may

Not

Have

Actually

Seen

This

Or may

Have

Forgotten

Already

That it

Exists

It's

Beautiful

Isn't

It

We'll

Present

Another

One

In

October

The way

In which

We believe

God

Is

Directing

Us

There

Are

Some

Men

In

This

Church

That

Have

Gone

Out

At

Night

And

We've

Surveyed

The

Wall

And

We've

Come

Up

With

A

Plan

For

This

Year

We're

Going

!

To be

Coming

Up

With

One

For

Next

!

Year

A

Way

It

And

Our

Calendar

Comes

Out

Of

The

Way

In

Which

We

Believe

God

Is

Leading

Us

So

Prayer

Planning

And

Providence

I hope

That

These

Are

Realities

In

Your

Life

Let's

Pray

Together