Responding to Opposition

Amen.

Amen.

Give Jesus another clap hand.

Amen.

Now, two, I want you to turn with me, but before we turn in our Bibles, I want to make sure we've got some first-time visitors here.

And we've kind of changed this stuff up to make it a little more special.

So, boy, don't these young guys in this media make me look good?

Let's give all our folks.

There's a lot of work that goes into this every week.

Awesome.

But if you're a first-time visitor this morning, would you raise your hand?

First time visitors, yes, right over here.

All right, yes.

Amen.

Good to have you.

Yeah.

Good to have you.

We're excited today about having children's church with us because every five, well, every what is it, three or four months, a year, there's five Sundays.

And so what we've decided as a staff, we want to bring everybody together on that fifth Sunday and get our children a chance to understand big church.

Now I know we're not quite as exciting as children's church, but I promise you, Rick and I'll make it pretty close.

Uh, because I'm just subject to.

I used to say I'd jump off the stage.

I don't do that anymore, but I used to.

But uh today we're gonna be looking at chapter four in Nehemiah.

And boy, the response we've been getting from this series on Nehemiah.

How fitting, how uh relevant this uh series has been on rebuilding the walls and us in our building program and us building our church.

And by the way, if you do not have a worship guide, just raise your hand.

Well, I I don't know, Lair.

Are we out?

Do we have a few?

We're out.

Can we get that's good, amen.

That's three Sundays in a row, so we need to start doing a few more, I know, but no.

Anybody anybody need one?

We got some extra.

Anybody need one?

Okay, no, everybody's got one.

Okay, good, good.

Well, in Nehemiah chapter four, it's so exciting because in really chapters three through chapter six, what you see in Nehemiah is they begin to go forward, then they have setbacks.

They begin to go forward, and then they have setbacks.

This takes place throughout chapters three through six.

Well, really the whole chapter, but it's very evident in chapters three through six.

And I thought to myself, is that not the Christian life?

You go forward and then you have setbacks.

You get back up and you go forward and you have setbacks.

So today we're gonna be looking at chapter four and looking at how we respond to this opposition or these setbacks.

And then, ready for next week, we're gonna be looking at chapter five on how to resolve problems.

Anyone got any problems?

Well, there's a lot of you didn't raise your hand.

Well, the kids didn't raise their hands, they don't have any problems.

But but we all have problems, but how we handle those problems determines the outcome.

Amen?

For good or bad, it has a lot to do with me and you.

So today we're gonna be looking at responding to opposition.

In fact, let me share with you how important this was.

The context of this passage, Nehemiah and his men are engaged in a serious work.

In fact, are you ready for this?

The future of Jerusalem, as well as the nation Israel itself, depending on the outcome of this mission and this job, this project that Nehemiah was doing.

That's a heavy responsibility.

Can I get an amen?

Now, let me put a little heavy responsibility on us covenant members.

Now, if you're not a covenant member, thank you for, and a lot aren't, but thank you for worshiping regularly.

But covenant members, this is why we take covenant membership so seriously.

You and I have a tremendous responsibility on us because the decisions we make, the things that we do to fulfill the mission of this church, and we see our core values all over the wall.

We talked about that last week, but the responsibility of the future of this church lies within the decisions we covenant members make.

I didn't think we'd get an amen.

Can we say o me?

We don't know what the future holds, but we know who holds the future.

And that's a good saying.

But let me say it this way: we don't know what the future holds, but the decisions you and I make in reference to this community church will determine that future.

Hello?

You okay out there?

And I take that very seriously, folks.

I always have, my wife will tell you.

I'm a visionary.

But I also know how important those very beginning decisions right now, what's going on?

Do you realize we have an awesome responsibility with the 90 acres and everything that's being done?

And we all jump up and we get excited, and we should, and but let me just say it is a huge responsibility.

And one day, we covenant members, we leaders, pastors, council members, Sunday school teachers, will bow a knee in front of an Almighty God and give an account of the decisions and how we led and built God's church.

Now that's heavy.

That's heavy.

Somebody said, Well, I don't want to be a covenant member then.

Well, it's too late.

Are you a Christian?

You still have that responsibility.

You just gotta find the church that God wants you to be.

Hello.

Because it's God's purpose for you to bring glory and adoration and the gospel to your community through his local New Testament church.

So you still have that responsibility.

So with that said, the introduction, if you'll notice on your outline.

Right there at the top.

The introduction, I gave you, I think the meat statement in this chapter is spiritual wisdom for spiritual workers.

God gives wisdom.

Out of his mouth comes knowledge and understanding.

Proverbs 2, 6.

So, and I really believe the thoughts given in this passage will aid our efforts to do the Lord's work and will in our church at CCW here.

So let's get into it.

Notice what wise spiritual workers do when the opposition comes.

Let me repeat that.

Here's what we're going to be looking at.

Notice what these spiritual workers, with their spiritual wisdom, react to the opposition.

Number one, here we go.

They recognize the dangers around them.

They recognize the dangers around them.

Hey, folks, let me just say something.

Man, you come to church, you get excited, but do you understand before you came in those doors, and when you walk out those doors, you're having, you're in a battle.

Satan is doing everything he can to keep you from being in church today.

Anybody experienced that this morning?

Some of you will.

But I got news for you.

He can't shut God's church down.

He'll try, but he can't.

If God be for us, who can be against us?

Romans 8.31.

So, and by the way, Satan can't stand anything God does.

He can't stand it.

One of the key verses in this whole uh message today is you know what Satan is?

He's a roaring lion.

1 Peter 5.8, be not deceived.

God, hey, hey, hey, Satan is roaming around seeking whom he may devour.

1 Peter 5.8.

So, they recognize the dangers.

Let's look.

Ready?

Get ready.

Ah, this is good.

And by the way, to be angry at God's work, let me make another profound statement.

I've got some stars here.

To be angry at God's work is to be angry with God.

If you're angry with what God's doing, you're angry with God.

And we have some people right now in America trying to literally take God out of America.

They're trying to take him out of the Pledge of the United States.

They've already kicked him out of our public school system.

They're trying to kick him out of the courthouses.

They're trying to do everything they can to get rid of God.

Why?

They're angry with God.

Somebody said, why is that?

Because when if you believe in God and who God is, and you believe in God's commandments, you believe in God's morality, you believe in God's word, you've got to be obedient and you can't live a moral, ungodly, evil life.

In other words, you can't, if it feels good, do it.

You can't do it.

Hello.

Why do you think they say, hey, Isaiah 5, Isaiah faced it?

This is nothing new.

This is what gets me excited.

All we gotta do is, hey, Romans 15, 4, whatsoever things are written aforetime were written for our learning that we through comfort and scriptures, hey, may have hope.

That's why I'm in Nehemiah.

I want you to see this.

This is not the first time all this has happened.

This has been going on ever since the beginning of the New Testament church.

Actually, before the New Testament church in the Old Testament.

God, hey, Satan has always tried to stop God's people.

But this, we're gonna learn.

So here we go.

They recognize that.

Number one, they foughtism.

Look at verses one through three.

They fought criticism.

Oh, this is good.

In Nehemiah 4.

But it so happened that when Sambalat heard that we were rebuilding the walls, that he was furious and very indignant and mocked the Jews.

And he spoke before his brethren and their army of Samaria and said, What are these feeble Jews doing?

Will they fortify themselves?

Will they offer sacrifices?

Will they complete it in a day?

Will they revive the stones from the heaps and the rubbish, stones that are burned?

In other words, he's just asking questions, making a mockery and scorning the Jews.

That's what he's doing.

Exactly what he's doing.

In fact, the word rage there is chara in the Hebrew.

The word rage, Sambalat, hey, was so mad, the word there, chara means to blaze up.

He just lost it.

You ever been so mad you just lost it?

Oh, I'm there's two of us.

No, that's better.

Okay.

Okay.

I think, say, boy, we got a lot of people with a lot of self-control in this church.

Hello?

I mean, have you just lost it?

We've all been there.

Well, this is what happened to Sam Balat.

See, he thought he had he had just suppressed Judah, Israel.

He had already stopped this rebuilding once, 12 years prior, and thought he had had it handled with King Artaxerxes, but not now.

The enemies, right here, we see mocked and ridiculed the work attempting that Nehemiah and then were attempting to do.

Notice what he calls them.

Feeble.

Few.

He attacked their their feebleness.

He attacked their their nation, their names, the Jews.

He attacked their faith.

He attacked the fabric for which the walls were going to be rebuilt.

I was thinking about this.

When you were criticized for doing God's work, most of us kind of, oh no, they don't like me, or oh no, maybe I maybe I'm too forceful.

Maybe I'm speaking up too much.

Oh and see, it's called the fear factor.

They want to shut us up.

They want to keep us from working.

They want to keep us from doing God's work.

But let me remind you, now you need to see this.

I did not, God gave me this word, so and I don't know if we can turn there on the overhead, but I want you to turn to Matthew 5.

I want you to see what Jesus says about this.

First of all, he said, as they persecuted the prophets and me, they're going to come after you.

They're going to criticize you.

They're going to try to stop you.

Like they, in fact, they tried to stop Jesus to the extent they literally crucified him.

They thought they had killed him.

And then he goes on and he says, if they're going to do this to the prophets and they did it to me, who are you?

We're seeing that in America right now.

They're trying to shut us up.

Actually, people are being killed.

Right here in America.

Starting to look like the war scenes that we've seen in the third world country wars that we've fought all these last 30 years.

Right here in America.

Why?

Evil is trying to snuff out good, righteousness.

Satan's at work.

Don't get mad with the people, get mad at Satan.

Satan uses people, though.

They're tools.

You can be a tool for good or a tool for evil.

Now, watch this.

Now, watch this.

Jesus said, God blesses you when people mock you.

Oh, did you see that?

When they persecute you?

When they, hey, lie about.

Oh, you know, we have the most honest media I've ever seen.

I mean, they don't even, they don't even bother to check the facts.

They just make them up.

And by the way, you're smart enough to go on a computer and check the facts yourself.

Don't you dare sit there and listen to one of those commentaries.

And I don't care what news station it is.

Check the facts.

Check the voting records.

They're listed.

But now watch.

When people mock you, they persecute you, they lie about you, and say all sorts of evil things against you.

And then what's this?

Because what?

You are my followers.

Then what does he say?

Look at verse 12.

Be happy about it.

Oh my goodness.

For great is your reward in heaven.

And don't forget, the prophets and myself were persecuted.

And if they persecuted us, they're definitely going to come after you.

He said, Be happy.

Can you say this with me, church?

Be happy.

When opposition comes, be happy.

When relicue comes, be happy.

When criticism comes, be happy.

And the second thing we see, not only do we see this unbelievable I'm talking about, they just went after them with false criticism.

But number two, we saw, hey, they fought conspiracy.

Look at verse 7 and 8.

Watch how the words now transfer into action.

Okay?

It's one thing to be criticized, but if that doesn't get, if they can't stop you then, guess what they're gonna do?

They're gonna start burning buildings.

They're gonna start beating people up.

They're gonna start killing people.

You say, what?

Watch look at verse 7 and 8.

Look at verse 7 and 8.

It's unbelievable.

And here's what he said.

Get to it.

Now it happened when Sambalat, Tobiath, the Arabs, the Ammonites, and the Ashadites heard that the walls of Jerusalem were being restored and the gaps were beginning to be closed, that they became very angry.

We just looked at that word.

They lost it.

They lost, they literally lost it.

Verse 8.

And all of them conspired, there's a conspiracy, together to come and attack Jerusalem and create confusion.

What are we seeing right now in the streets of America?

Exactly that.

I meant there it is, folks, right there.

It's unbelievable.

But don't forget, it's Satan's plan, verse 8, is to hinder.

Look at what he says.

And all of them conspire together and come and attack Jerusalem and to create confusion.

They want to hinder us, they want to stop us.

And then notice what else he wants to do.

And by the way, he wants to here's what he wants to hinder.

This is good.

He wants to hinder, excuse me, hinder the honor of God.

He doesn't want anybody honoring God.

And then, secondly, you know what he wants to hinder?

He wants to hinder the work of God.

And then he wants to hinder the people of God.

That's what he wants to do.

That's what he's doing right here.

So, first of all, he wants to hinder us, and then look at verse 11.

Verse 11, he wants to take us out.

And our adversaries said, they will neither know nor see anything till we come into their midst and kill them and cause the work to cease.

Hello?

Hinder, now slay.

Now slay.

Also verse 11, and the end to cause the work to God say he won't stop God's word.

I meant work and word.

That is his work.

Hey, and he'll do it either way by criticism or conspiracy and taking you out literally.

He ultimately wants to stop the work of God.

So they fought conspiracy.

They fought criticism.

Now look what else.

Verse 10 through 12.

They fought complaints.

Now this is where it gets a little touchy.

Right?

So far, we're having all the attacks from the outside.

But now we turn to attacks coming from inside.

You mean we can have people that disagree with what God's going on in the church?

Hello.

All day long.

And I just don't like that.

Well, I think who's asking what you think?

It doesn't matter.

I'm going to tell you what I think anyway.

That's just the way I am.

Well, change.

Don't be a bully.

That's what bullying is, by the way.

And we see it all the time in school everywhere.

What we see is them trying to suppress you and to keep you from being what God wants you to be, and they want you to be what they want you to be.

That's it.

And if you don't conform to them, you're going to get attacked.

Woo, preacher.

You must have been watching the news.

No, I'm just studying scripture.

Now watch.

Now watch.

This is oh boy.

Inside.

Guess who look at verse 10 and 12.

This is unbelievable.

Then Judah.

Uh oh, wait a minute, wait a minute.

Who's Judah?

Oh, that's David's tribe.

That's supposedly the godliest tribe of the 12 tribes.

That's where the priest came from.

Now look who's doing the complaining.

Oh my goodness.

Judah.

Oh, ten times the words used there.

That means over and over they're saying, we can't beat them, we can't do this, they're gonna kill us.

We there's more than us that we don't have we can't do this, we can't, we can't, we can't, we can't.

Pardon my language for you that criticize and say we can't, get out of the way for those that are doing it.

Dale Carnegie said that for me.

He says that any fool can criticize, condemn, and complain.

He used this little story.

His family was having visitors over for dinner.

And the little girl was going around telling everybody that were the guests at the house what their what her mom and dad well what her family liked to eat.

And uh so she went around to everybody, and then she got to her dad, and well, she wasn't gonna say anything to her dad.

But then all of a sudden the dad pops up and says, Well, honey, what do I like to eat?

You know, laughing, like I'm gonna she's gonna brag on me.

She said, Well, dad, all I can say is you don't like anything that's at the house.

In other words, he dropped all the time about the cooking.

He never liked anything the mom cooked.

Folks, if you can't find something good, just please ask the Lord to change your heart.

My wife said that, I didn't.

I'm not repeating that.

But hey, hey, really, let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth.

Amen.

Come on, folks.

You may not agree with it, but hey, you don't have to go around and tell everybody.

And if you do, if you want answers, go to that person one-on-one.

Go to the leadership one-on-one.

Sit down with them, we'll talk, we'll tell you.

In fact, I tell you all the time from the pulpit we don't hide anything around here.

I don't tell you anything until I know.

I learned that real quick with the building.

Wait till it's done.

Well, hey, we're getting close.

That's all I'm saying to somebody.

When are you getting in?

I'm just saying we're getting close.

Closer.

But I'm not gonna.

Come on.

Hey, they fought these complaints all the time.

I mean, we're talking about from within, Judah themselves.

Now, I you know what I ask?

I say, why would Judah be complaining?

Why would they be pessimistic?

Let me show you what God showed me.

You know why?

And by the way, can I say something?

The enemy within can be a lot worse than the enemy without.

They can stop a work quicker than anybody.

They can cause a church split quicker than anybody.

Hello, you with me?

Now watch this.

The opposition here.

You know why they were complain?

I believe they were complaining?

The complainers were living by the enemy who influenced them.

They were right there living with Tobias and all of them.

The enemy.

They were mingling with the enemy.

Why do you think they say, have no fellowship with unfruitful works of darkness?

But rather reprove them.

Why do you think Paul says, come out from among them and be separate?

Because they will inf Have you ever been around negative people?

What do they do to you?

They bring you down.

They bring you down.

Or they'll get you to, well, man, I wonder.

Don't do it.

Don't don't be influenced.

Be an influencer.

When people start getting negative, I say, stop, stop, stop, stop.

I will not receive that.

I'm negative enough myself.

I don't need somebody else to be negative to me.

Can I get an amen or owe me?

That's a leader in me.

I always see the opposition.

Trust me.

I just don't tell you a lot of times.

Unless I know they're about to attack, you'll know it.

And we should be watchful, and we're going to look at that in a minute.

So, what's good?

Hey, they fought conspiracy, they fought the complaints.

Hey, they fought the criticism.

Now, I put a star by this and wrote this to Pastor Danny.

Rick, Pastor Rick, Pastor David, the council, the leaders.

Watch this.

Your efforts, my efforts, our motives, will always be brought into question, and everything you do will be scrutinized.

But we need to remember today that our duty is not to please the critics and the complainers.

Our duty is to please the Lord.

I've been doing this 40 years.

I've been on both sides.

I learned real quick, I can't please everybody.

And why get an ulcer or a heart attack trying to?

I'm just gonna please what the Lord wants me to do.

I'm not gonna stand before you.

You're not gonna stand before me.

But one day I will stand before him and give an account of how as a pastor I led this church.

I take, look at me.

I take that very seriously.

You can ask Rick when we're out every week.

I'm always reinforcing.

A shepherd.

Here, Rick.

This is why we do this.

Why?

We've gotta make sure we are not influenced by anyone but the Lord Jesus Christ and godly counsel.

Did you hear me?

Godly counsel.

Very important.

And again, you look at verse 12.

You see what they did.

I mean, it was unreal.

They kept complaining and complaining and complaining and complaining.

We can't beat them.

They're too strong over and over.

Well, they did.

That brings them number two.

The man who said, by the way, that we don't know who said this.

It's anonymous.

I tried to look it up to see who got credit for it.

The man who says it can't be done should never interrupt the man who was actually doing it.

They kept saying, get out of that wall, get out of that wall, get out off that wall.

We need to talk.

We need to talk.

Nope, not coming down.

Till it's done.

Nope, not coming down till it's done.

We're gonna keep bringing the dirt and moving the dirt and building, just keep doing it.

Regardless of how many obstacles.

Notice the second thing they did.

They relied on the God above them.

And if you want to keep it with these preachers, they relied on the deity above them.

My eyes are fixed on thee, O God, and the Lord is my trust.

Psalms 141, verse 8.

Psalms 141:8

Woo! I will lift up my eyes unto the hills from whence my help cometh.

My help cometh from the Lord who made the heavens and the earth.

Psalms 121, verse 1 and 2.

Psalms 121:1

That's good.

When the attacks came, notice what happened.

Verse 4 and 5.

The leaders prayed.

Look.

Look, the leaders prayed.

In verse 4 and 5.

Hear, O God, for we are despised, turn their repro.

You gotta see how Nehemiah prays here.

He says, for we are despised, turn the reproach on their own heads.

Woo! You know what he said?

He said, Hey, turn their own violence back on them.

Be not deceived, God is not mocked.

Whatsoever man soweth, that shall he reap.

Galatians 6, 7, that's what he's praying.

Then look what else he says on their own heads, and give them as plunder to a land of captivity.

You know what he's talking about there?

He says, hey, hey, let them be arrested.

Let them be locked up.

Hello?

Amen to that.

Sorry.

And then look at verse 5.

Do not cover their iniquity and do not let their sin be blotted out from before you, for they have provoked you to anger before the builders.

And and I know you got to be careful here.

He's not talking about if somebody comes with a repentant heart and wants to change their lives and be saved.

He's talking about people that are trying to stop God, take God out, take the Christians out.

And he says, Well, hey, just get them.

They're trying to make a mockery of you and stop your work.

Lord, don't let this happen.

Folks, it's okay to pray.

God, stop this writing.

Stop it, stop it, stop it.

It's not of God.

That's what he said.

He prayed for divine judgment.

And you know why he did that?

Because verse 5, they dishonored God.

But now notice.

The Bible says, call unto me and I will answer thee and show thee great and mighty things which thou knowest not.

The prayed, folks, there's not a greater time right now.

We've been talking about this, having some prayer nights, and we're going to do that.

Rick's going to start, yeah.

I want him to schedule them for us.

And we're we're going to have some more Sunday nights, and we're going to get in here and we're just going to pray.

So we're going to do is just pray.

Pray.

Call if my people, what you call by my name, shall humble themselves and pray.

That's what we're going to do.

That's what we're going to do.

We're not going to let fear stop us.

I love what Jesus said.

Fear not.

Fear not.

Isaiah said, Fear not.

Hey, the path is before you.

Walk ye in it.

Isaiah 31.

Pray.

God is my refuge and strength of very present help in time of trouble.

In fact, we're going to get to this, but in verse 14, you're going to get excited when we get there to see what how he was praying.

But one of the greatest verses is, Philippians, it's in your notes, Philippians 4, 6 and 7, be careful for nothing.

In other words, don't worry about anything.

I know that's hard.

Be careful to nothing.

Don't worry about anything.

Be careful for nothing.

But through love and supplications and thanksgiving, let your requests be made known unto God.

And then what he says, look at verse 7.

And the peace of God that passes all understanding shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

Gotta pray.

Jesus said, pray.

Luke 18, 1, Jesus said, men ought to always pray and not to give up.

Don't give up.

I know it's been looking pretty bleak, but I believe the tides are turning, folks.

I'm thinking God's saying, enough's enough.

They were told not to fear the enemy, but to focus on God.

I like what he says in Matthew 26, 41, be watchful.

We'll get more into that in a minute.

Matthew 26, 40, be watchful.

Which brings me to my third point.

How did they respond?

Oh man, that's good.

They recognized the dangers around them.

They relied on the deity above them.

And then number three, they responded to the duties assigned them.

Let me tell you what I've learned personally.

When I first was called to ministry, I had a lot of things try to when I surrendered and told my wife Becky at that time many of you knew that she died in my arms, and I'll talk after we graduated from seminary and moved to Tuscaloosa.

But once I decided that I was going to Liberty University to train for the ministry, I surrendered to the ministry.

I was going to be a football coach.

And I was a junior at Albany State.

In Albany, Georgia.

Adrian's here.

He's out taking care of us.

He may be here, he's from Albany, I'm from Albany.

And Albany State was a predominantly African American school.

So I was really the minority in the majority.

So I've been there, folks.

That's why I've never I I just don't see color.

Never have.

Anybody calls me a racist?

Okay.

No, no, but I don't know.

I won't do that either.

But I just never, I grew up on the wrong side of the track.

They called it there.

There's no such thing as the wrong side of the track.

But all I'm saying is, that word is being used to divide the family of God.

You know what I love about this church?

Just turn around and look.

We're one of the most diverse churches in Shelby County.

Can we give God a hand?

Red, yellow, black, and white, they're all precious in his sight.

All lives matter.

Black lives matter.

Hey, Hispanic lives matter.

Caucasians lives matter.

Indian lives matter.

We owe matter to God.

God loves us all.

He died for us all.

You know where I stand.

Look at this.

Verse six.

They were united in the process of the work.

Watch this.

This is so good.

Look at it.

So we built the wall, and the entire wall was joined together up to half the wall in height, for the people had a mind to work.

There's two words there.

We and people had a mind to work.

What that literally means there is they expressed their unity and their purpose to build that wall together, and nothing was going to stop them.

And what I was sharing with you a while ago, when I've been in a tragedy, or I've had when my wife died in my arms, when I was going to Liberties for the ministry, three jobs.

I had my football coach call me up and said, I want to hire you part-time to be our weight-lifting coach.

And then my youth pastor called me and said, I want you to work with our youth.

I meant everything that I kind of had planned I wanted before surrender to the ministry was laid in my lap.

There's no doubt in my mind, Satan threw a curveball to try to keep me from going to Liberty University.

And then when my wife died in my arms, two weeks out of seminary at Open Door Baptist Church, and I was there, and I could have easily quit and everybody wouldn't have understood.

And you've heard the part of the testimony where I threw my Bible against the wall and said, I don't believe in God.

And then God dealt with my heart, and I realized if God be for me, who what I realized is the Bible was open to Romans 8.28.

We know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are called according to his purpose.

Either that's true or it's not.

If it's true, get up and press toward the march and build a church for the glory of God.

Dr.

Falwell, yes, Dr.

Falwell called me and said, I don't know, I don't understand what you're going through, but I know this.

If God's called you there, you stay there and build a great church.

And what I'm telling you, when opposition comes in, it will, and they try to stop you, and they will.

They'll try to take you out and they will.

You just keep pressing.

You get up and you keep fighting.

You get up and you keep telling everybody about Jesus.

That's what you do.

They were united together.

And whatsoever your hands find to do, do it with all your might.

Ecclesiastes 9 10.

But B, they were united in the protection of the work, too.

Look at verse 9.

Oh boy, this is good.

Look at verse 9.

Nevertheless, we made our prayer to our God, and because of them, we set a watch against them day and night.

Folks, we got to be on the watch.

We're working, but we're watching.

Can I get an amen?

Every one of us ought to be a watchman.

Do you know how China, you know the wall?

You know how it's been penetrated, I think, two to three times.

I'd have to go back and look.

You know how?

They couldn't get through the walls.

They bribed the gatekeepers.

We don't need any gatekeepers that can be bribed.

We need gatekeepers on the watch, making sure if you know there's some problems going on in this church, you need to come tell us.

I promise you, I promise you, I will be there tomorrow.

We'll knock on your door.

We'll sit down.

We're gonna talk this out.

Go to the person, get it right.

You okay out there?

That's what Matthew 18 says to do.

We're gatekeepers, we're watching on the gates.

That's so important.

And then look at C.

And by the way, they all worked and they all watched.

Say that with me.

They all worked and they all watched.

Come on.

They all worked and they all watched.

Every one of us are important.

Can I get an amen?

Give God a hand.

Every one of us are important.

There's no big shots in this church.

By the way, I'd rather have a lot of little shots than one big shot.

Because if the big shot gets taken out, you're in trouble.

Hello.

And who can work with a big shot?

That's right.

And then see.

They were united in the progress of the work.

Verses 13 through 18.

Look at it.

Oh, this is beautiful.

Therefore, I positioned men behind the lower parts of the wall at the openings, and I set the people according to their families with their swords, their spears, their bows, and I looked and arose and said to the nobles, to the leaders, and to the rest of the people, do not be afraid of them.

Now, woo! What's this?

We're gonna get there in a minute.

Remember the Lord, great and awesome! And fight for your brother and your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your house.

Not only do we see that they prayed, and by the way, I don't think I filled in B for you on the last one.

Laborers prayed too.

Not just the leaders.

But watch this.

What's this?

Not only were they united in the progress of the work, they were all united.

Hey, they were together.

All right, let me give you this.

This is so good.

Have you ever wondered why Canadian geese fly in a V form?

Have you ever seen them?

I saw a group, I heard them, I saw a group the other day.

You can hear them coming.

Here they come.

And you see that beautiful V.

Watch this.

A little research.

When all the geese do their part in a V formation, the whole flock has a 71% greater flying range than if each bird flew along.

Each depends upon the other to get to the destination.

When a goose begins to lag behind the other's honk.

They honk it back into place.

You know what?

That honking's going on?

I didn't understand that.

The honking is they're telling a geese that's out of line to get back in line.

Woo! Next time a church member gets out of line, let's honk, honk, honk, honk, honk, honk.

Honk.

Get them back in line.

Can I get come on?

Can I get an amen, church?

Honk! Get them back in line.

And that's why you come to church.

Somebody says, I don't have to go to church.

Yes, you do.

Hey, what go ahead go ahead and be in the 30%.

You want to be in the 71%?

You got to be in the church.

You got to be in the V.

And you know what's exciting about that V?

We all have our place in that V.

Can I get somebody say that's good.

And then we, yeah, great.

And we exchange places.

The head goose gets tired.

I get tired.

I know I know Rick said, I'm ready.

I got him a sermon right now.

Just step out of the way, preacher.

And I will sometime.

Oh boy.

I ain't honk down there.

I ain't honk anywhere.

I can tell you that, folks.

All right.

Let me finish it up.

Now we're to the meat of the message.

Well, all of it's been meat.

Number four, they remembered the determinations about them.

Why do we do it?

Why do we fight?

Why do we stand?

Getting ready.

Look at verse 14.

Most powerful verse here, and I just read it to you.

But look at it.

Look at it again.

And I looked and arose and said to the nobles, first of all, do not be afraid and remember our awesome God.

Number one, A, remember what you're fighting for.

They were fighting for their faith.

We're fighting in America for God.

One nation under God.

Indivisible.

That's right.

Liberty and justice for all.

All.

You know what the Greek word for all is?

All.

Secondly, B, they were fighting for their families.

They were fighting for their faith, the church.

Choose you this day whom you're going to serve for me and my house.

We're going to serve God.

Joshua 24, 15.

Except the Lord build the house, they labor in vain that build it.

Psalms 127.1.

We're fighting for our families.

They're trying to do away with the families.

That's in the platform of a lot of these rioting groups to do away with the family.

Do away with God.

And then, are you ready?

See, we're fighting for the future.

The very future of Jerusalem and the Jewish faith is at stake here in this context.

Ladies and gentlemen, let me remind you that the, hey, the future of CCW, the future of our country, the future of our state, the future of everything this country was founded on is at stake.

And what are you going to do about it?

Pray.

Stand.

We need to get before the Lord today.

Concerning his will for our, each of us at CCW, our community.

We need to pray for wisdom to surpass the mere mortals.

We need to pray for an intervention of an awesome, Almighty God.

And let me remind you as I close with this.

Jesus said, Upon this rock I'll build my churches, and the gates of hell will not prevail against it.

Matthew 16, 18.

We're in a battle.

We are fighting for the survival of our faith, of our church, of our country, of our state.

Everything that you we're fighting for our kids.

Look at these kids.

Look at all kids 12 and under stand up.

All kids 12 and under stand up.

All right, give them a hand.

Yes, we love you.

We love you.

Why is Pastor Danny preaching uncompromisingly?

I know I'm gonna go out of here and people are gonna say he was political today.

You can say whatever you want to.

I was not political, I was biblical.

And there's a big difference, folks.

I am pro-life.

Amen.

I'm pro.

I'm for everything God's word's for, I'm for.

No compromise.

When he said upon this rock, I'll build my church.

And the gates of hell.

People see that, that, that, that, that hell's coming against church.

Let me tell you, that's not the context.

That's not the context.

I'm fixing to enlighten some of you, and then sort of turn a Presbyterian into a Pentecostal.

The gates of hell will not prevail against it.

What he's saying is the church is going to be such a force, such a light set on a hill that cannot be hid, such a power, such an example, that, hey, that that the church is on the offense attacking the gates of hell.

The gates of hell.

I pray every morning that God so fills you and me with the Spirit of the Living God that Satan in the morning gets up and he says, Oh no, oh no, they're up, they're up, they're up, close the gates, close the gates.

Honk, honk, honk.

Amen, church.

Amen.

Every head bow, every eye close.