Reset | Pastor Darren Palmer | Faith Church

Praise the Lord. Hallelujah. I got a new smart

watch. And I got one for my wife. And I like

it during worship because every time I hit the

keyboard or clap my hands, it counts as another

step. So Cammie and I can challenge each other

on how many steps we take. And all I got to do

is play a couple songs on the keyboard and I

win. Praise God. Everything's a competition.

You know that, don't you? But I want to, I just

have this in my heart this morning. There are

no shortcuts. That's a shortcut, isn't it? There

are no shortcuts in the kingdom of God. There

are no shortcuts to growing in Christ. There

are no shortcuts to getting closer to God. And

if you expect it to be different for you than

it is for everybody else, it isn't going to work

that way. We've got to give ourselves to the

things of God, right? We've got to do what God's

called us to do. We're not saved because of those

things, but we grow because of those things.

We give ourselves to God, and he helps us to

move forward in Christ. How many of you want

to move forward in Christ? Amen. Now, I'm believing

this morning that... the altars are going to

be filled when I'm done preaching, that the altars

are going to be filled with people that are rededicating

their lives to Christ. Are you ready to rededicate

your life to Christ this morning? Amen. Praise

God. Turn with me to Nehemiah chapter 13. Nehemiah

Nehemiah 13 · chapter mention Nehemiah 13 · chapter mention

chapter 13. And we're going to spend some time.

in Nehemiah chapter 13. Today's an incredibly

Nehemiah 13 · chapter mention

special day. Today is a day that America has

chosen to rededicate this nation back to God.

Hallelujah. Hallelujah. This is a, I believe,

across our country, a solemn day. We are rededicating

our life not to a God, not to just a God, whichever

God you choose. No, today we are rededicating

America back to the God of the Bible. We are

rededicating America back to Jesus. Hallelujah.

And across this nation, at courthouses and counties

all over, people are gathering for prayer. I

know that the time three o 'clock has been mentioned.

If you want to make your way to the courthouse

at three o 'clock, I will be traveling at that

time. But I would love for as many of you as

possible on the courthouse grounds to gather

and say, Lord, we dedicate this nation back to

you. Amen. Praise God. And so, Lord, as this

nation dedicates itself back to you, I pray that

you would hear the cry of your people, that you

would hear the heartbeat of the United States

of America, that, Lord, of all of our shortcomings

and failures, we turn back to you. In its 250th

birthday, Lord, we turn back to you. And we acknowledge

you as the sovereign over the United States of

America. And all God's people said, Amen. Amen.

Now throughout the history of Israel, there have

been great reformers in the Old Testament. Thinking

of Moses. Thinking of David. Thinking later of

King Josiah, King Hezekiah. All the judges that

God raised up to bring the nation back to God.

Aren't you thankful for the voices that turn

the nation back to God? And Nehemiah is one such

person that God used to rebuild the walls around

Jerusalem and bring the nation back to God. Before

we read this passage, let me give you just a

little history on Nehemiah. He was not a king.

He was not a priest. Nehemiah was a cupbearer

to a secular king, King Artaxerxes. He was a

cupbearer. He was the one that tasted the food

and drank the wine before the king to test it.

To make sure it wasn't poisoned. Because the

king has enemies. And not anybody, not just anybody

can work in the cook of the president in the

kitchen. Not anybody can do that. And the cup

bearer was the one that protected the king. Would

take that cup in his hand and before the king

drank it, would drink it himself. So that if

there was any poison in it, the king would know.

Can I tell you? It's very much like the cross.

It's very much like the cross of Calvary. Jesus

drank the cup on our behalf so that the wrath

of God would not touch you and I. So that the

poison of sin would be removed. so that you and

I would be protected. Nehemiah was a cupbearer.

But his position in Israel was to bring the people

back to God. So as you read the book of Nehemiah,

he rebuilds the wall of Jerusalem, and it's an

incredible story. But he comes back at the end,

and in chapter 13, Nehemiah brings reformation

to the people on another level. And we'll see

how much of this we get to in the next 20 minutes

or so. On that day they read from the book of

Moses in the hearing of the people, and it was

found written that no Ammonite or Moabite should

ever come into the assembly of God, because they

had not met the children of Israel with bread

and water, but hired Balaam against them to curse

them. However, our God turned the curse into

a blessing. So it was when they heard the law

that they separated all the mixed multitude of

Israel. Now this chapter is going to sound harsh.

It's Old Testament. It's not the testament of

grace, but it is a testament that God called

his people to obey. And so, verse 4. Now before

this, Eliashib the priest, having authority over

the storerooms of the house of our God, was allied

with Tobiah. And he had prepared for him a large

room. where previously they had stored the grain

offerings, the frankincense, the articles, the

tithes of grain, the new wine and oil, which

were commanded to be given to the Levites and

singers and gatekeepers and the offerings for

the priests. But during all this, I was not in

Jerusalem, for in the thirty -second year of

Artaxerxes, king of Babylon, I had returned to

the king, and after certain days I obtained leave

from the king, and I came to Jerusalem and discovered

the evil that Eliashib had done for Tobiah in

preparing a room for him in the courts of the

house of our God, and it grieved me bitterly.

Therefore, I threw all the household goods of

Tobiah out of the room. I commanded them to cleanse

the rooms and I brought back into them the articles

of the house of God with the grain offering and

the frankincense. This Nehemiah, he's got some

fortitude, doesn't he? He's got some grit. I'm

believing God in 2026 for some people with some

spiritual grit inside of them that will walk

with God. Now you need to understand something

about Eliashib. He was the high priest. He was

the one that was supposed to be leading the way

in the things of the law, in the things that

God had commanded them to do. But here he had...

cleaned out a room that was designated by God

for the offerings of God's people. And he had

cleared out this room and said, hey, Tobiah,

you can live here. Whenever you're in town, here's

a room for you. Now you need to understand some

things about Tobiah. Because Tobiah was not just

any other person. If you flip back in your Bible

or you scroll back on your phone to Nehemiah

2 and verse 10, you are introduced to the character

of Tobiah. And it says in verse 10, when Sanballat

the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite official,

when they heard of what... they were doing rebuilding

the wall, they were deeply disturbed that a man

had come to seek the well -being of the children

of Israel. This Tobiah was not only an Ammonite,

he was a leader of the Ammonites. He was joined

together with Sanballat, who spent the next two

or three chapters taunting the Israelites, telling

them they should not rebuild the wall. This Tobiah

the Ammonite was a leader among his people and

Eliashib thought it was more important to maintain

a back -channel relationship with Tobiah than

it was to obey the word of God. And so the high

priest of Israel had invited Tobiah the Ammonite

to dwell. in the temple of God. This is an evil,

evil, evil thing that is taking place. But I

ask the question today, as we rededicate our

lives to the Lord, you know, it doesn't make

sense for America to rededicate herself to the

Lord if the believers in America do not rededicate

themselves to the Lord. It's got to come down

to the church. It's got to come down to individuals

in the house of God saying, I'm going to rededicate

my life to the Lord. But how many of us have

back channel relationships with things that God

has once delivered us from? We have back channel

relationships, friendships with the world. And

it's time for us to say, we're going to clear

out our storehouses and make room for God and

what he wants to do. Jesus said, put your hand

to the plow and do not look back. Amen? Do not

look back. In 2 Peter chapter 2. Peter says something

2 Peter 2 · chapter mention

very sobering. He says, for if they, after they

have escaped the pollutions of the world, through

the knowledge of the Lord, our Lord and Savior

Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in the

things of the world and are overcome by them,

the latter end is worse for them than the beginning.

It would have been better for them not to have

known the way of righteousness than having known

it to turn from the holy commandment delivered

to them. But it has happened to them according

to the true proverb, a dog returns to his vomit

and a sow having washed to her wallowing in the

mire. Friends, I want to call you to... Keep

yourself in the deliverance that God has made

for you. Amen? Galatians chapter 5. That was

Galatians 5 · chapter mention

Peter in 2 Peter. Here's Paul. He said, Stand

fast, therefore, in the liberty by which Christ

has made us free. And do not be entangled again

with the yoke of bondage. Hallelujah. Now, you

might say, well, I've been a Christian for a

while, Pastor. I don't need to hear that. But

can I remind you how quickly, after Moses went

up the mountain and he was gone, they had been

delivered from the hand of Pharaoh. They had

walked across on dry ground. They had seen the

miraculous hand of God work. They had watched

the pillar of fire by night and the cloud by

day. They had it with them. But as soon as Moses

went up the mountain, what did they do? Hey,

let's make a golden calf. Let's bow down to it.

And all the nation committed idolatry. We're

fickle people, aren't we? We're very temperamental

people. And we need God to constantly remind

us, don't go back to the things I once delivered

you from. And if you're here this morning and

you're saying, you know what? I've gone back

to some of those things. I've opened the door

back to some of those things. I recognize this

morning that I need to shut that door. When you

rededicate your life to the Lord this morning,

you're saying, I am shutting the door on the

things that entangle me and that keep me from

living for God. I'm kicking Tobiah out of my

house. In Jesus' name. We need to be like Nehemiah

and rededicate ourselves to Christ. Amen? Is

that good stuff this morning? Praise God. Okay,

I'm going to move quicker through the rest of

these. The second thing Nehemiah did, the next

verse, verse 10. I also realized that the portions

for the Levites had not been given to them for

each of the Levites and the singers. Everybody

say, and the singers. Who did the work had gone

back to his field. They had gone back to his

field. In rededicating Israel to the Lord, Nehemiah,

restored worship. He restored worship. The musicians

and singers, they were Levites. They relied on

the offerings that the rest of the nation brought.

And when the rest of the nation under the leadership

of Eliashib, they quit giving. They quit. They

quit bringing offerings. And so the musicians

and the singers and the worshipers, do you know

what they did? They said, well, how are we going

to eat? And they had to choose eating over fulfilling

their calling. And they went back to the fields.

And the worship that was supposed to be offered

by the people to the Lord, the singers that were

supposed to stand in the place of worship, they

were gone. They were no more. Friends, if we're

going to rededicate our lives back to God, we

have got to come back to the place of worship.

We've got to protect the place of worship. We've

got to... come out of the field and we've got

to say these these singers you know they they

wanted to eat And so some might say, well, it's

not their fault, but they had a mandate from

God and they abandoned their mandate. You know,

can I tell you something? If they would have

stayed and they would have said, you know what?

It doesn't matter what Eliashib says. Eliashib

is not my provider. I'm going to fulfill the

call that God has on my life. Can I tell you

something? God would have come through for every

single one of them. Can I encourage you? Do not

abandon your call for the sake of money, for

the sake of provision. Trust in the name of the

Lord our God. Trust in Him in Jesus' name. Hallelujah.

Some of the people that we have met with and

talked with about marriage, one of the difficulties

in our society, is that if you stay unmarried,

you get more money from the government than if

you marry. This is a very real thing. The question

is this. Are we going to trust in the government?

Or are we going to trust in the name of the Lord

our God? And I want to declare over every one

of us today to don't be afraid. Do not be afraid

to take the steps that you need to take to trust

in the Lord our God. Hallelujah. Hallelujah.

And Nehemiah said, this isn't going to happen

on my watch. On my watch, we're going to have

worship in the house. On my watch, we're going

to have musicians on the house. On my watch,

we're going to have singers in the house. Hallelujah.

You know, pastors come to me and they say, Darren,

you know, if you cut your service time down to

55 minutes, your church will grow. You know what?

Based upon all the evidence of all the other

churches, it's true. The church will grow. But

what will we sacrifice? Because our number one

priority, I mean, how many of you like it when

the house is full? I like it. I believe we're

going to have this house jam -packed. I believe

the day is coming where if you don't come early,

it's going to be hard to find a seat. But I refuse

to make that my number one priority. My number

one priority is not to pack the house with people.

My number one priority is not even to win the

lost. It's high on my list of priorities. But

there's something that is higher still. And that

is this. We are gathered in this place to worship

God. We are gathered in this place to lift Him

high. We are gathered in this place to give Him

what is due His name. Hallelujah. And I love

it. I love it, church, that we lingered in worship.

For an hour and ten minutes this morning. I love

it that we did that. I'm kind of racing through

my message because of that. But we gave Jesus

the worship that he is worthy of. Hallelujah.

He is worthy of the worship. Glory to God. Glory

to God. He's worthy of the worship. And before

everything else. He's worthy. Do you know the

number one reason we do missions? We do missions

because we care about people. Jesus cares about

people. The Father's not willing that any should

perish, but that all should come to repentance.

His heart is for the nations. His heart is for

the lost. His heart is toward the people. But

you know the number one reason why we want to

reach people? Because our God is worthy of...

Their worship. Our God is worthy. Of another

one. Coming to give him praise. Our God is worthy.

Of more. Than what we have right now. He's worthy

of it all. We do missions. Because our God is

worthy. We want the nations. To sing and lift

him up. And see. He's worthy. That's why we witness.

That's why we reach the lost. We reach the lost

for their sake as well. Because we love people

like God does. But friends, the restoration of

worship is... is the priority of rededication.

I'm believing that America will once again be

a center of worship for God. I'm believing that

our nation will be known again because of its

worship. We are here to worship the King of Kings

and the Lord of Lords. I believe that worship

is going to grow in this house. I believe that

we're going to add opportunities for worship

in the coming 12 months. We're going to see God

expand worship in central Illinois, across this

land. I believe it with my whole heart. Are you

hungry? Are you hungry to see God lifted high?

Hallelujah. Praise the name of the Lord. And

so Paul, he said that one of the signs that you

are filled with the Holy Spirit went beyond tongues,

went beyond the gifts of the Spirit that are

powerful and good. He said, do not be drunk with

wine, which is dissipation, but be filled with

the Spirit of God. And if you're filled with

the Spirit of God, you're going to speak to one

another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs.

If you're filled with the Spirit of God, you're

going to sing and you're going to make melody

in your heart to the Lord, giving thanks always

for all things to God the Father in the name

of our Lord Jesus Christ. Hallelujah. Worship.

Worship. Make worship bigger in your home. Make

worship bigger in your car. Make worship bigger

when you're by yourself. Make worship bigger

when you're here in this place. Don't just tolerate

worship in this house to get to the good part,

the preaching. We want the preaching to get better

and better, but friends, do not skip. The worship.

Give yourself to worship. Give yourself to worship.

When we rededicate our lives to the Lord this

morning. If you come down to this altar. You're

saying God I want to be a vessel of worship.

I may not sing great. I may not any of those

things. But I want to be a vessel of worship.

The restoration of. The temple, the restoration

of worship, and the restoration of giving. The

commands under Moses was for the nation to bring

the tithe to the temple so that the work of the

ministry could happen. The whole nation was neglecting

their responsibility, but this rededication involved

a revival. Of giving. I personally believe. That

the tithe. One tenth of your income. Belongs

to the Lord. It's the beginning place. Of giving.

To position yourself. For spiritual. Blessing.

Some of you wonder why. Ends never. meet. It

could be because you are neglecting giving. When

you as an individual or a family begin to tithe

God will begin to prove himself to you in ways

that you never thought possible. And the question

that I want to ask is will you trust God with

your finances? Bring all the tithes into the

storehouse that there may be food in my house.

Try me now in this, says the Lord, if I will

not open for you the windows of heaven and pour

out for you such blessing that there will not

be room enough to receive it. This is the one

promise where God says it's okay to test him

in. All throughout the Scriptures, the Word says,

do not test the Lord your God. But here, God

invites you to test Him. Financial miracles released

into the church and into the families of the

church happen when we rededicate our lives to

the Lord. These Israelites under Nehemiah, they

had gotten used to not giving. They had gotten

used to not bringing the sacrifice of worship

through financial means. And we are rededicating

our lives to God, trusting Him with everything.

This is a revival of giving. be deceived. God

is not mocked. Whatever a man sows, that shall

he reap. 1 Corinthians 16. On the first day of

the week, let each one of you lay something aside,

storing up as he may prosper to the church. This

is Paul. I bear witness, he said in 2 Corinthians

8, that according to their ability, yes, and

beyond their ability, they were freely willing,

imploring us with much urgency that we would

receive the gift and the fellowship of the ministering

to the saints. Hallelujah. And so this morning,

We are rededicating our lives to God, saying,

Lord, we trust you with everything. Hallelujah.

Hallelujah. I feel the anointing of the Lord

in this house right now. Rededicating our lives

to God. Number four, the restoration. of the

Sabbath. Nehemiah 13, 15. I saw people in Judah

treading wine presses on the Sabbath. bringing

in sheaves, loading donkeys with wine, grapes,

figs, all kinds of burdens which they brought

into Jerusalem on the Sabbath day. And I warned

them about the day on which they were selling

provisions. Men of Tyre dwelt there also who

brought in fish and all kinds of goods and sold

them on the Sabbath to the children of Judah

and in Jerusalem. And I contended with the nobles

of Judah and said to them, What evil thing is

this that you do by profaning the Sabbath day?

Did not your fathers do thus? And did not our

God bring all this disaster on us and all this

city? Yet you bring added wrath on Israel by

profaning the Sabbath. So it was at the gates

of Jerusalem as it began to be dark before the

Sabbath. I commanded the gates to be shut. I

charged that they must not be open till after

the Sabbath. I posted some of my servants at

the gates so no burdens would be brought in on

the Sabbath day. And the merchants and sellers

of all kinds of wares lodged. outside Jerusalem

once or twice and I warned them and I said to

them, why do you spend the night outside the

wall? If you do so again, I will lay hands on

you. Oh, I love Nehemiah. That was not in a good

way. He was laying hands on people. From that

time on, they came no more on the Sabbath and

I commanded that the Levites, that they should

cleanse themselves and they should go and guard

the gates to sanctify. The Sabbath day. The Sabbath

was a commandment, the fourth of the ten commandments

in Exodus chapter 20 and Deuteronomy chapter

Exodus 20 · chapter mention Deuteronomy 5 · chapter mention

5. God himself set in order the Sabbath by resting

on the seventh day. Nehemiah saw that they weren't

even making an attempt to follow it and he said

it right. Then in the years that were to come,

the leaders of Israel turned the Sabbath into

legalism. Adding rule after rule that made it

more of a burden than a blessing. Jesus brought

the Sabbath back to its intention. In Mark 2

.23, he said this, listen. Man was not made for

the Sabbath. The Sabbath was made for man. Did

you know that God's intention for the Sabbath,

God's intention is to give you rest? Did you

know that in the New Testament, there is not

a legalistic single day that you have to keep

by law? is the Sabbath day. And he said in Matthew

11, come to me all you are weary and I will give

you rest. His intention is that you pay attention

to the rest that you have in Jesus Christ. I'm

cutting this short a little bit. But some of

you are neglecting to come to Jesus Christ for

restoration. And you have to come back to him.

Now I believe that you ought to take a day off

once a week. I'm going to say that again. Because

it felt good. I believe that you ought to take

a day off once a week. I believe that you ought

to rest. Do you know it's similar to the tithe?

When you tithe, you're saying, God, I'm trusting

you. I'm not trusting myself. Because in myself,

it makes more sense that 100 % would pay more

bills than 90%. But I'm giving you the 10 % because

I trust in you. And guess what? God's blessing

on the 90 % will go way farther than your ability

to manipulate 100%. I guarantee you that. Because

you're expressing trust in God. And the same

is true when you rest. I'm trusting in God that

in six days, He can help me get more done with

his blessing than I can get done in seven days

on my own. Jesus is our Sabbath rest, Hebrews

teaches us. Some of you need to learn the Sabbath

rest in Christ. If you're frazzled and weary

all the time, you are missing something. Now

this doesn't mean you don't work hard. Six days

thou shalt work. But it means that we trust in

the Lord. I take Fridays off. I rarely answer

my phone. Now sometimes things happen. Sometimes

we have ministry on Fridays. I get that. It's

not a legalism thing. But I take Fridays off.

I do not prepare sermons on Friday. I will answer

a text if it's an emergency. If I don't answer

the phone when you call and it's an emergency,

text me. I will reply to you. I want to. But

I take a day off. Why? Because I trust in God.

Because He loves me. Because he pours rest into

me. Some of you in rededicating your lives to

God when you do this, you're going to shed weariness.

You're going to say, God, I trust you with the

rest. And finally, the restoration of separation.

Now you need to hear this last part. Verse 23.

I love Nehemiah. I love him more and more the

more I read this chapter. In those days I also

saw Jews who had married women of Ashdod, Ammon,

and Moab. And half of their children spoke the

language of Ashdod and could not even speak the

language of Judah. But spoke according to the

language of Judah. Of one or the other people.

So I contended with them. And cursed them. And

struck some of them. And pulled out their hair.

And made them swear by God. Saying you shall

not give your daughters as wives to their sons.

Nor take their daughters for your sons for yourselves.

And here's why. Did not Solomon, king of Israel,

sin by these things? Yet among many nations there

was no king like them who was beloved of his

God, and God made him king over all Israel. Nevertheless,

pagan women caused even him to sin. Should we

then hear of your doing all this great evil,

transgressing against our God by marrying pagan

women? One of the sons of Joiada. The son of

Eliashib the high priest. We already said that

Eliashib had Tobiah in the temple. Now Eliashib,

we find out, was his son, was a son -in -law

of Sanballat the Horonite. gave his children

to Sanballat. The problem in the Old Testament

with marrying other races was not that it was

in itself a sin to cross into another culture,

but that what would happen is that they would

bring their gods into the relationship. And they

would cause Israel to stumble just like Solomon.

And so the command today in the New Testament,

us Gentile church, is not that you can't marry

outside of your race or that's a sin. That is

not the truth. The lesson is not that you cannot...

Mary because of social status or because of this

or that. None of that is true. But the New Testament

principle is this, that we have got to separate

ourselves from the world. In 2 Corinthians 6,

Paul said, do not be unequally yoked together

with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness

with lawlessness? What communion has light with

darkness? And what accord has Christ with Belial?

Or what part has a believer with an unbeliever?

And what agreement has the temple of God with

idols? For you are the temple of the living God.

As God has said, I will dwell in them. I will

walk among them. I will be their God and they

shall be my people. Look, pat yourself on your

chest right now. Come on. This right here. is

the temple of the Holy Spirit. Jesus, the Son

of God, lives inside of me. Hallelujah. I am

separated. I am separated unto God. And I shall

not take what is holy and washed in the blood

of Jesus and bought with... with the Son of God

on the cross. I will not take that and unify

it with an idol. I will not unify it with something

that is not of God. I will not be unequally yoked.

I will not be unequally yoked. Come out from

among them and be separate, says the Lord. If

the only difference between you and the world

is that you spend two hours in church on Sunday,

you need to separate yourself unto the Lord.

I'm rededicating my life to God. I'm rededicating

my life to God. Do you not know that friendship

with the world is enmity with God? Whoever loves

the world, the love of the Father is not in him.

Wow. Dedicating themselves back to God. In holiness.

And saying here I am God. I belong to you. I

belong to you. I've preached long enough. I'm

going to ask the worship team to come. And I'm

believing that for one of these reasons or another.

That these altars are going to be full. We're

going to just sing that song, Here I am to worship.

Here I am to bow down. That you will say, God,

I'm joining with America. I'm joining with Faith

Church. And I am rededicating my life. I had

a dream last night. I was in a house. It wasn't

a house I've ever been in before, but it was

mine. And there was a bunch of people there,

and we were having a party. And it was a very

real dream, and I looked out the window, and

planes were flying overhead, and then I saw bombs

dropping. And about a mile away, one exploded.

And I was trying to get the people to look out

the window and to pay attention. We needed to

do something. But nobody would listen. They just

kept eating their hot dogs. And I was trying

to get the people to see that bombs were dropping.

And I woke up. I forgot. I woke up and just started

getting ready. I didn't even remember that I

dreamed that. And when we got here, when I got

here this morning, I paused a minute and I remembered

having that dream. These are not the days, church.

To be asleep. There is war in the heavenlies.

Over our nation. You know that. Over your family.

Over your sons and daughters. Over your own soul.

Nehemiah realized it in his generation. He shook

the people. I'm not going to come out of the

aisle and pull your hair out today. But how many

of you will say, God, I want to rededicate my

life to you this morning. I want to say, here

I am. Here I am. Here I am. I give myself to

you. It's why we live, Lord. I don't want this

to be emotion -driven, although I feel emotion

right now. I don't want it to be just because

everybody else is doing it. What I want to know

is if you in your own heart of hearts want to

say, God, here I am. I rededicate my life to

you. Here I am. Here I am. And if that's you

this morning, while we sing this song, here I

am to worship you, God. I want you to just get

up out of your seat and I want you to present

yourself before the Lord. And say, Lord, here

I am. I know I'm not perfect, God. But Lord,

I rededicate my life to you. Along with this

nation. Here I am, Lord. I worship you.