Building in the Battle

And uh it is it is such a pleasure every week, such a joy every week to be with our church.

And and today is no different.

We come to lift up the name of Jesus.

I hope that you've had some good fellowship and friendship and warmth, uh, but but we want to encounter the God who has provided his word for us.

And so I listen, when we open up this book, God opens up his mouth.

And he speaks.

And so he speaks.

And so, and then there's times where where as as Jonah and you'll you hear testimonies about prayer, God will teach you and lead you into how to hear him through the power of his Holy Spirit.

And and I don't I don't want to get too much in the weeds here, but but but it it's one of the most exciting things in the world to know that God is speaking to you in a moment that is that is related back to being in his word.

And and in that moment, he's speaking to you in a way that hopefully brings glory to him, but also can impact other somebody else for for their own good.

And so anyway, just a great time.

Um as we if we're gonna be in Nehemiah, if you got the book of Nehemiah, um, if you got the Bible, um, whether it's paper, leather, or electronic, look it up.

And this book, this particular Bible, this actual Bible that I have, it's on page 412.

Uh that means nothing, probably, but but it might give you an idea about where it is.

Uh it's I tell people, look in the glossary, look in the glossary.

You're not familiar with all the books in the order, it's okay to look in the glossary.

So that's what I would uh I still do that on occasion.

So um in the 1920s in California, uh there was a dream.

There's a vision.

And last week I talked a good bit about what it means to for for God to give you a vision.

A vision, a God-given vision is the ability to see what could be fueled by the conviction of what should be.

And so my uh one of my pastors, Ike Riker, he I loved, he even simplified it.

He said the vision, vision is the ability to see the preferable future.

And so God, I believe God gives leaders vision.

God gives leaders vision and he confirms it.

He confirms it in others, he confirms it in the body of Christ, he confirms it in leadership, he confirms it.

And so if you if you think you're a leader and nobody is following you, then you're simply out for a walk.

Okay?

And so vision, leader, God gives vision to leaders.

And so the the idea is for the vision to be cast and to be shared, and and then and then people hear it, they confirm it as they read and as they sense the Spirit of God at work.

And so there's this dream that was given to a gentleman or a group of people in California, 1920s California, there was a dream, a vision of a preferable future, uh, to connect the San Francisco, to connect San Francisco to Marin County by crossing over the treacherous Golden Gate Strait.

And many of you know about what structure I'm talking about.

Before this time, if you wanted to travel between these two communities, you had to drive to the ferry station, wait in line, buy a ticket, board the ferry, slowly crossed the bay until you ended up on the other side.

This adventure could take an hour or more for people to get to the other side.

And there were leaders who desired, who had a vision.

They wanted to build a bridge.

But it but it absolutely seemed impossible in the 1920s.

This is the 1920s.

Imagine building a structure like the Golden Great Bridge.

Oh, it just gave it away.

Um, sorry.

And so, y'all do that.

And so, so they had a desire, the vision, visions given to them.

But man, this is a this is a big vision, this is a big dream.

Why?

Because there there's some uh obstacles, there's there's some issues, there's some objections.

What were they?

The strait was too wide, it's 4,200 feet wide, the water was too deep, 372 feet uh deep, the currents were too strong, uh the winds were too severe.

Uh there's the California fault line.

Earthquakes uh are common and likely, uh, which could bring the bridge to collapse, and then there's the estimated price.

There's always got to be a price, right?

There's a price, and it was outrageous.

At the time,$35 million.

Now, this is the 1920s.

What do you think that would be today?

A lot.

Wait, wait, inflation is it would be the equivalent today would be$500 million, probably more.

Probably more than that.

And so, but the bit the but for the bridge builder, Joseph Strauss, you've heard, probably heard of some genes, Levi Strauss, right?

And so Joseph Strauss believed that it could be done, and he didn't want to give up.

And so he faced ridicule, he faced financial struggles, legal battles, but he kept pressing forward.

He gathered a team and began to plan, and and he began to see a bridge fill the expanse.

They moved forward, they pressed forward, and so there were challenges.

And so as construction began, a platform collapsed.

Ten men were killed tragically.

I mean, can I mean we we we know other stories like this with construction?

This could have ended the project, but engineers created uh safety nets to save lives, uh, to put below the construction project where where men were were were hanging over uh edges and potentially falling to their death.

Construction occurred during the Great Depression, which was not the best time to raise money or to spend billions of dollars on a bridge, but they didn't give up.

They didn't give up.

Did they give up?

No, they so finally after four years of construction, the construction project was completed in 1937.

Upon its completion, it was the longest and tallest suspension bridge in the world, and today millions of people cross it each year, and and it and it remains, it's an iconic structure in American um in American life.

I mean, we we we we see it and we we know exactly where it is.

We we know exactly what that bridge is, and it's it remains one of the most iconic structures ever built, especially with that story.

And so what most people considered impossible became a rap reality.

Why?

Because there was somebody, an individual or a small group of people, had a vision.

They had a vision, they believed and they could see what could be, fueled by the conviction of what should be.

What is the preferable future?

That is what we want.

That's what we want.

That's what we want for our walk with the Lord.

That's what we want with our relationship with Jesus.

That's what's what we want when we carry out the Great Commission.

It's what we want when we send our kids off to school.

It's what we want when we're choosing where to buy a house and to live our lives.

It's what we want when we think about our life and our lifestyle and our hope and the joy and the power of God in our life is what we want, and we will refuse to quit.

We could tell stories of other huge achievements that that almost didn't happen because they faced impossible um odds.

They faced uh impossible opposition.

And uh, how about sending a team to space?

We're gonna send a team to space, and some of you, you listen to certain podcasts, you'd say, well, we we've not we've never we haven't even done that yet.

That's what some of you would say, right?

We haven't done that.

That's what that's what that guy says, you know.

Um what uh James, Joe, somebody.

He says everything everything's a conspiracy.

We haven't sent people to space.

That was filmed in a studio in Hollywood, right?

That that's that's just my that's that that's your free part for today.

Um, we sent people to space.

How about the Battle of Normandy?

Think of the scope of what what a group of nations were able to do because somebody had a vision.

We look at this world and see what could be fueled by the conviction of what should be.

We're not gonna have a world that's ruled by by by Nazi ideology.

We're gonna fight for peace.

We're gonna fight for a world where people are valued and people can live out their dreams.

How about just the sports world?

The sports world, some of the greatest stories that we encounter are people who who who stepped out to accomplish something.

They faced obstacles along the way and they didn't give up.

They continued to move forward.

And and I and I'm a I'm a I'm a sports nut.

And I think of Jalen Hurts, who was the MVP of the Super Bowl game that took place in the last week or two.

And I remember, I remember when he was removed by his college football coach from a game because he was not able to produce.

He was not able to perform.

He is taken out of the game.

And if you're a fan of the same team that I am a fan of, I am mad.

Yeah, they should have left him in.

But now he's a Super Bowl champion.

But so we love impossible odds, fiction, nonfiction, some of the great stories, some of the great stories we've read, some of the great stories we've watched on a big screen.

We love stories about people overcoming.

We we talked about the the story of uh of two schools that were integrated during the civil rights era.

We showed that clip last week where a complete uh completely black school and a completely white school were integrated, and two football teams integrated, and and and the the obstacles and the encounters, but there was a coach that had a vision, and ended up being two coaches that had a vision for white people and to black people, and back black players and white players to come together and for there to be unity.

Unity despite the differences, despite even some of the differences in beliefs and opinions.

And so, why do we give up when we face trials and setbacks?

Because resistance challenges our comfort and it questions our confidence.

When things get complicated, the initial enthusiasm begins to fade and the fear of the unknown sets in.

And so sometimes it's easy to step back and just and just to be paralyzed by fear, be paralyzed by the unknown.

And the people that are willing to take chances, the people that are willing to see, see what could be fueled by the conviction of what should be, they will step up and they will step up and they will say, Yes, what we face is a great challenge full of many obstacles, but the God that we serve is bigger than the obstacles that we will encounter.

Thank you.

Praise the Lord.

And so, what do we do?

What do we do?

What do we do when our marriage is in trouble?

Listen, nobody thinks about divorce on their wedding day or their honeymoon, but you come back and you face real life.

You you have children, and there are you you you have you buy a house, you have financial obligations, and and there's struggles.

Finances.

It's easy to commit to trusting God when when when you've got plenty, when you've got a great job.

It's tough to trust God when you lose a job or when the finances are cut.

It's tough.

How about you just walk in your walk with Jesus and your faith?

It's easy to pray.

We talk about pray.

It's easy to pray when prayers are being answered.

It's easy to get excited when people are getting baptized.

I told somebody the other day, I said, I've pastored.

We planted Church of the Grove 18 and a half years ago, and over the course of about 18 and a half years, I've pastored about four different churches.

Because this church has been different in different stages.

And I really loved y'all that first year or two.

And then we went in a couple of years, and I was like, man, I I don't I don't I'm just being honest, okay?

I turned to my wife and said, it's like I don't want to go to church.

She's like, you got to.

Why don't I have to?

She said, you're the pastor.

She said, why don't you want to go to church?

Because people are mean.

I mean, I'm and I and I'm I'm I'm I'm joking, but but we I we've been through several seasons, and all it's it's like marriage, it's like parenting, it's like leadership in all areas.

You go, listen, you you you are if you're alive long enough, you're gonna go through seasons where you feel blessed, and you're gonna go through seasons that are that just seem very difficult.

And so sometimes we pray and we feel like our prayers are hitting a ceiling.

We face opposition, and so we continue.

And so when the vision is bigger than what we can accomplish in our own strength, I'm telling you, that's a good place to be.

Because then you have to lean on the Lord.

And things get difficult.

It's easy to feel like you need to throw in the towel.

It's easy to feel like you need to give up.

But most people never experience a lot of the breakthrough that I believe that God wants us to experience because we stop.

We give up.

There's not enough money.

There's not, I don't have the relational uh strength in me.

I don't have the mental, emotional capacity.

So it's easy to step back, and then you never know what's on the other side of what would have been a step of obedience.

Amen.

And I say this all the time.

My pastor taught me this.

He said, hey, listen, blessing, the blessing that God wants to pour out blessing.

Listen, the blessing is on the other side of a doorway that swings on tiny little hinges called obedience.

And so we step out.

And so the vision, when it's bigger than what we could accomplish, we're probably at a good place.

And so God wants us to experience breakthroughs.

Here's the big idea for today.

God's greatest breakthroughs are never built without battles.

God's greatest breakthroughs are never built without battles.

There's always going to be a battle.

And so this morning we're continuing our series for four generations 2.0, casting vision for our church to sow, to sow seeds of faith for future generations.

I believe that God is doing a great thing.

God wants us to continue to see him doing a great thing, but we've got to be willing to step out in faith.

And I feel like there is an obligation for those of us that are on, uh that are maybe on the other side generationally from where our young people are.

And our obligation is to facilitate what God is already doing and making sure that the doors are wide open and the opportunities are there for them to experience the blessing of God just like we have.

And for us to do that, we've got to facilitate it through creating more space.

As I shared a few weeks ago, I'm driving down Paul Smith Road and I see another road cut through, and I ask the person I'm riding with, man, is that is that that's a neighborhood.

That's a neighborhood, he said, 150 homes.

And I can throw a rock from here.

Well, I could have before my shoulder surgery.

But but in the next hopefully a few months, I just about could throw a rock.

Some of you could throw a rock from here.

And you could hit that neighborhood.

And so, and so we desperately need to create more space and and see what God can do.

Honestly, I'd love it.

I'd love it if we were, man, I wish we were closer.

I wish we were further along.

But God's timing is always best.

And so there's always things that come up.

But I'm telling you, God's working.

God's working.

This is a big week, and I'm asking you to pray.

Pray for this week.

There's a couple important meetings this week.

And if if these meetings go the way that I'm praying that they'll go, things will speed up.

Things have already accelerated.

And so we we just we continue, we need obedience and continuing to give.

We need obedience and moving forward, um, working with with the different entities, whether it's the city, our lenders and financial institutions and um Steel Co.

Who's going to construct the building?

And so God puts obstacles in the way.

Sometimes it's hard, but God's greatest breakthroughs are never built without battles.

God's greatest breakthroughs are never built without battles.

And this is what we see in the story of Nehemiah.

Nehemiah.

And Nehemiah is a cupbearer, which he's a server.

He's a server, he's been taken off along with many of God's people.

They've been exiled to Babylon.

Babylon comes in and conquers the city of Jerusalem in 586 BC, takes people, marches them back to Babylon, thousands of miles away.

There's a remnant, small remnant, group of people that are still living, and for 140 years they're living amidst broken down walls, broken gates, a disoriented, disgusting, just a place where there is no glory.

There is no representation of the majesty of God anymore.

And so God gives this man a very unlikely man.

This is not a man that has a royal pedigree.

This is not a man who has money.

This is not a man who really has anything to offer because he's the cupbearer.

He's really a lowly servant for King Artaxerxes.

Persia has conquered Babylon at this time, and Nehemiah is tasting the wine and tasting the food for Artaxerxes to make sure that somebody doesn't poison him.

And he gets this idea.

God gives him a vision about going back and rebuilding the walls, putting the city gates back into place, bringing dignity and honor and majesty back to the name of the living God.

And in a very scary scene, we don't even probably understand the significance of it.

Nehemiah approaches the king.

The king says, What why why are you why is your face sad?

He says, He says, My people.

My people, many have been taken away, some are left, but our city sets in ruins, and I believe that God has given me a vision to go back and rebuild it.

And miraculously, God has already been working in the heart of our Xerxes, and He says, Yes, you can go.

God provides.

Sometimes you got to share the vision.

Sometimes you got to cast the vision.

Sometimes you gotta lay the vision out.

And you know what?

As a leader, I've learned I've just got to repeat it over and over and over.

And I'm gonna get sick and tired of it way, probably way before before our congregation really, really gets it.

But it and I believe I believe we're getting it.

I believe we're getting it.

What are some of the obstacles that Nehemiah faces?

And one is the battle of discouragement.

One is the battle of discouragement.

Nehemiah 4.

Nehemiah chapter 4, verses 1 through 3.

Nehemiah 4:1–3

It says, Sandbalat, Sanbalat's a bad guy.

He was very angry when he learned that we were rebuilding the wall.

He flew into a rage and mocked the Jews, saying in front of his friends and the Sumerian army officers, What does this bunch of poor, feeble Jews think they're doing?

Do they think they can build a wall in a single day by just offering?

A few sacrifices?

Do they think they can make something out of stones from a rubble heap and charred ones at that?

And Tobiah the Ammonite, who was standing beside him, remarked, that stone wall would collapse even if a fox walked along the top of it.

Now, that sounds like what somebody would say about something that I have constructed.

I just don't have any, I just don't have the gift.

But but I mean if you're if you're in construction, that somebody somebody is like giving you a heart.

And if you've been in any kind of place of leadership, if you've owned a business, if you've ever had a a job in management or or or or executive leadership, you've had to encounter people like this.

And they don't, they you know what?

If they don't know what to say constructively, then they're just gonna come up and make up something.

And it's and it's probably gonna be mean and and has and and it won't be constructive at all.

And so sandbalot, which his name literally means sin gives life.

Now, is that a is there is there a problem with that?

And sin at that time in history was a Mesopotamian moon god.

And so he's a pagan leader, and he's most likely the governor of Samaria.

He didn't want the wall reconstructed because he knew that down the pathway, if this city, if this walls and this gate, these gates are put back in place, we're gonna have a political, military crisis on our hands.

He knew, he knew he didn't want the wall constructed because it would threaten his political power.

So Sandball and Tobiah mocked the people about their efforts to rebuild the walls.

And so the opposition should have been expected because there is a spiritual component.

We should never be surprised when we encounter spiritual warfare.

There is an enemy, there is a devil, there really are, and there really is such a thing as evil.

The concept of evil in our world, and we shouldn't be surprised when we, God's people, encounter opposition.

There's a spiritual component there.

So without the walls, the people are exposed to physical, economic, spiritual attacks.

There's no security, there's no identity.

Rebuilding the walls was one step in seeing true worship of the one true God come back to his people to take place once again in the nation of Israel.

Ephesians 6.12, talking about spiritual warfare.

Paul says this for we are not fighting against flesh and blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.

He says, Therefore, put on every piece of God's armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil.

Then after the battle, you'll be standing firm.

Have you ever, I mean, have you ever been in the presence of evil so much that, I mean, tangibly you could experience it.

I mean, I think uh many, many times, but I think it's a couple specific times.

I remember being in a village in the country of Mali in Northwest Africa, and we would just go village to village, and Mali is 98% Muslim.

And we go village to village, and we'd ask we'd we'd find who the Imam, who the religious leader of that village was, and we'd ask permission.

Can we talk to you?

Can we tell some stories?

And often they were very courteous and generous and receptive, and and they would say, yes, absolutely.

And we'd tell stories, you know.

I wouldn't quote, I wouldn't say that, hey, this is from Nehemiah or I or this is from the gospel of Matthew.

I just start out telling stories about about Jesus and about how he walked on this earth and about how he loved people and he ended up dying on the cross.

And to save us from our sins, you just tell stories.

And sometimes I could feel receptive spirit, I could feel the presence of God at work.

But there are times where we'd come in and we would say, Hey, we want to tell stories, and Imam would say, What do you want to talk?

What are you gonna tell us?

What kind of stories do you want to tell us?

I just want to tell you about some stories about that I've read out of out of this book.

As a matter of fact, stories that uh of a character that's in your in your book called the Quran.

In the Quran, you he's called Isa.

And man, the look on that Imam's face, this look of evil.

Not only can you not tell stories about your Issa, you're not welcome in our village.

And I mean, I at that point, I'm like, okay.

Bye-bye.

Out of here, see ya.

I don't know if they understood it, but I'm I'm I'm retreating the whole way.

I don't, I, I mean, I I feel so threatened.

And so there's there's there's always obstacles.

And so the enemy is working.

Look at what he says.

Look at he says, what does this bunch of poor feeble Jews think they're doing?

These are things that that Sand Balance Hobiah say, he said that here's another one.

Do they think they can build a wall in a single day?

They don't they don't have commitment.

Do they think they should just they can just offer a few sacrifices and bam, everything's gonna go back to the way they want it to be?

Do they actually think they can make something of stones from a rubbish heap and charred ones at that?

You hear you hear the discouragement?

In verses four and five, he's it here's what Nehemiah does.

He prays.

He says, Then I prayed.

Hear us, our God, for we are being mocked.

May their scoffing fall back on their heads, and may they themselves become captives in a foreign land.

Do not ignore their guilt, do not blot out their sins, for they have provoked you to anger here in front of the builders.

So we don't have to we don't have to confront people the way our society demonstrates.

You know, confront people, social media, being ugly to people, talking ugly down.

Just pray pray.

You got enemies?

Pray for your enemy.

Pray that God, number one, that God will take care of it.

God has your back.

And then secondly, just pray that God will move in their life.

And so discouragement begins to work on us.

We see the battle of distraction in this.

We see the battle of distraction.

There's always going to be distraction to the vision that God has given.

So many people allow the worry of what could be to stop them from walking in what should be.

And then what's another battle?

The battle of burnout.

The battle of burnout.

That's a common battle.

The enemy will just get you to work yourself to death.

That's one of the biggest issues I think we face in our culture is we're we're trying to keep up with everybody.

We got to keep up with everybody.

So I gotta go harder and harder and harder.

And then I'm burned out, and then God, I'm not, I'm not useful to what God wants us to do.

And so God's greatest breakthroughs are never built without battles.

And so we're talking about the giving, we're talking about handling our our our finances.

Last week I shared, I shared a little story and demonstrated Jill and I are in this.

We're in this.

This is something that we pract we want to practice what we preach.

And then in the midst of that, the Holy Spirit just led me to share generously, not just toward for what God's called us to do.

I hear God wants us to live generous in all areas of our life.

And I want you to hear a story from a young couple.

Let me let me tell you, you know who you know who's got it tough?

Not in our county, in our local county, you know who's got it tough?

Young couples.

Young couples have it tough right now.

Because look at the cost of buying a house, renting a house, living in a space that has a roof and actually has doors and windows.

It is so expensive.

It is outrageous.

And and our young couples are the ones that are suffering.

But I want you to hear the story, I want you to hear a story from Jonah and and Reese, and they're part of our ministry team, but this isn't a story about youth pastor Jonah and worship leader Reese.

This is just a story about a young couple who God's brought together in the context of marriage.

They want to see the gospel of the kingdom advanced, but but they, man, it is tough to find a place to live if you're a young couple.

Much less try to go build a house.

Listen, listen to their story and how God worked in such a powerful way.

Um, I really started to doubt, I guess, for the first time.

And for the first time, clicking the the give button online became a lot more challenging.

And it was every time I would go in to give, um, there was a split second where it was, man, we could really use this money somewhere else.

Um, and that was really the first time in life where it felt like it was taking faith um to be generous.

Four generation started in January or February of 2024, and obviously with that, we kind of talked through what we wanted to give and what we wanted to commit to, and it was a nerve-wracking process, it was a little uncomfortable.

Um, but we committed to it, and all was well, and then around April of that year, we started having some car issues for Jonah's birthday.

We got tickets to go to a Braves game, and on the way there, um, my tire blew out on the highway.

So we were able to make it to the game.

Um, but there was an obvious pretty penny that came with that, but we kind of just took it and went with it.

Um, but then the next week we had a student event, and I went into a store to get something, came back out to my car, and it just would not turn on.

It wouldn't turn over, so we had to get it towed.

It was a stressful, stressful couple of weeks just with my car and all the financial stress that came with that.

I think with the the four generations, it kind of offered this opportunity um for both of us to participate, I guess, in more sacrificial generosity for the first time.

And the I think the biggest challenge for me personally was kind of the first fruit gift, and I think that's where the Lord challenged me the most.

That first fruit was a huge leap of faith because it was a big chunk of our savings.

It was a big chunk of what we had set aside for a down payment for a house in the future.

And when all this stuff started happening with Reese's car, as she mentioned, um, I got really stressed because not only had a big chunk of our savings um been given back to the Lord, but now a big chunk of it was being spent on her car and that little security blanket that I felt like we had started to diminish.

And I just remember um, I guess late April, early May, there was definitely a season of life where, or maybe you know, span a few weeks where um I really started to doubt, I guess, for the first time.

And for the first time, clicking the the give button online became a lot more challenging.

And that was really the first time of life where it felt like it was taking faith um to be generous to the Lord and commit to give to him what we committed to give to him.

And I remember I was um subbing at CLC, um sitting in the CLC classroom, subbing, and I get a text from our landlord um in about the middle of May that they sold an investment property, and they were looking for different ways just to be generous with that money.

Um so they told me and Reese that they were gonna let us live rent-free for the rest of the calendar year.

Uh, they had no idea, obviously, what we were going through and kind of the trying season that it was, but it was, I mean, it was just in that text that you can looking back and even in that moment, could just so clearly see the Lord providing um and stepping in, and the moment that fear and doubt started to to really feel like it was taking a hold, um, the Lord came in and and showed that he is God and that he is faithful and always will be.

And one of the coolest parts to me about the story that shows that it was actually the Lord that was working through the midst of all this is that span of seven months' rent or so.

Um, it came within about$100 of what we committed to give to the Lord in that first fruit offering um back in March.

So, again, that big um chunk of our savings that was really difficult to hand over to the Lord, um, he provided and he um just did something really incredible in a moment where we absolutely needed to see him work and needed to see him move and needed a reminder that he was still there and that he was God and that he was faithful.

I think the one of the biggest lessons we've both learned through it was it's okay to be uncomfortable, especially when you're sacri- that's what sacrifice is.

Um it's okay to feel uncomfortable, it's okay to feel that tension because he is a good father.

He is faithful, um, he has the best intentions for his children, and I know we felt that firsthand through this experience.

I had someone, a professor, actually give this illustration about tension and growing and especially in your faith.

Um, the picture of a guitar, when you're playing a guitar, you have to apply certain pressure in certain places and apply tension in order to get a certain sound to play.

And I think the same is truth, truthful in our lives, um, especially in our walk with the Lord, that tension has to be applied in order for us to grow in our faith.

Um, specifically with giving, um, it's gonna feel uncomfortable.

It should feel uncomfortable to to give, it should feel uncomfortable um to step out in this way.

And when you do, I mean, the Lord is so faithful.

Um He He always is providing in ways that will shock you.

I mean, this is something that the way He gave back, it wasn't someone just showed up at our doorstep with a pocket of cash.

It wasn't we won the lottery, it was other believers who wanted to be generous.

My biggest piece of advice is is to just do it and step out in faith and and actually do something that causes you to trust in the Lord.

Um, we see all throughout scripture that um God is constantly reminding his people, hey, like just look back.

And I think what this experience has done for us is it's given us a story and a memory and just a season of life where we get to look back and see the Lord's faithfulness and we get to see his provision and his his love and his generosity um towards us.

But that never would have happened in the first place if we didn't just step out and trust.

And I wouldn't say it was the easiest way to learn that lesson because um, I mean, it's awesome that the Lord provided, but but those those couple weeks in in April and May were probably some of the lowest places my faith has ever been in the Lord.

But in the midst of that, God provided in a way that has strengthened my faith and solidified my faith more than it ever has been at the same time.

So, you know, we can sit here and share stories and and scripture with you about why you should trust the Lord and why you should have faith in him and why you should be generous.

But until you actually do it, your faith can really only grow so much.

Um, so I do think that our our action, the the idea of let's not just be hearers of the word, but let's be doers as well.

Um, that's where faith really begins to grow because you have um memories and experiences and stories of the word working in your own life um to look back on and and grow from in that way.

We constantly joke that what we give or what we have committed to this specific campaign is a drop in the bucket in the grand scheme of this whole um process.

But we think of the story of the widow, it's not about um how much we're giving, um, but that it was a sacrifice for us, uh just like it was for her.

Isn't that awesome?

Yeah, praise the Lord.

Praise the Lord.

I I I love I I love what Nehemiah says in in Nehemiah 4, verses 14 through 17.

Nehemiah 4:14–17

There's some scripture, there's a few some verses I didn't I didn't read that I wanted to read, and and for the sake of time, just go go go read through chapter 4 of Nehemiah.

That's pretty much what today you can go to our app, the Church at the Grove app.

You can find the notes in the scriptures there.

But I loved it.

Here's what he says.

Nehemiah says, Then I looked over the situation.

I called together the nobles and the rest of the people and said to them, Don't be afraid of the enemy.

Remember the Lord.

Remember the Lord.

Can we say that together?

Remember the Lord who is great and glorious, and fight for your brothers, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your homes.

We are in a battle and we're fighting.

We're fighting for generations, we're fighting for families, we are fighting for a city, we are fighting for an area.

And I believe God has got great things in store for this community.

And right at the center of that community, I need, I believe should be a spirit-filled, spirit-led, Jesus-centered, Bible-based church that, yes, is sharing the good news, but is also impacting the community in such a way that it adds value to the families that are there.

And can I tell you this?

It's not about money, it's about our heart.

And if heart, if God gets your heart, he's got everything else.

I'm not begging you to give, but I'm telling you to listen to these stories.

Listen to these stories.

The incredible thing about Jonah and Reese is not, they're not, it's not the call that they have on their life.

They're just normal people like you and I.

We all have the same decisions, but listen, they got into a situation and they decided to hang in there.

See, money, money itself is not evil.

Money is simply a tool, like a wrench in a toolbox, so God can build his kingdom.

And so money's a tool.

And so, so, so the problem with money is when we begin to love it.

That's what Jesus says.

It's the love of money that is the root of all evil.

When we love it, when we when we when we become uh you know so acquainted with it, and we want more.

And we want more.

And so what you've got is you've got a story of a young couple, nobody would have known.

Nobody would have known except them, maybe and God.

Just, hey, if they need to pull a little bit out from what they committed, they said no.

And you know what's sad?

You know what's scary?

You know what is what bothers me and keeps me up at night?

Is some of us that quit right before God shows up.

And and listen, if you had taken that step through the door of obedience, or the door that swings on those hinges called obedience, if you'd walked that next step, you would experience the blessing.

But when we give in to the fear, here's the saddest part is you'll never know how God would show up.

Amen.

It's his battle.

It's his battle.

Here's a card I want you to take, and I want you to pray over this, and I want you to consider it.

We had commitment cards last year.

They look, these are different, they're a lot more simple.

Some of you have already committed.

There's a box that says, Hey, I'm gonna continue with my commitment.

Some of you are kind of new.

You say, Hey, I'm gonna give.

I'm actually gonna give money for the first time today.

Um, I'm increasing to give sacrificially.

I've already committed, I'm just gonna fulfill my original commitment.

And I've been giving uh I've been giving sacrificially and would love to share my story, and so we'd love to hear from you if you want to share your story.

But I'm telling you, pray about this, think about this.

And I know some of us, listen, I've said this.

If everyone, 100% was engaged, we we wouldn't have an issue.

There's a few of you that could could could write a check that would be significant and possibly help us pay for half or a third.

And God's God's speaking to you as well.

Some of you are in other categories.

It's not, it's not it's not the amount.

What God wants to do in your journey is for you to sit and take a simple step of obedience.

And it's not about the the amount, it's about taking that step.

You know what?

The battle belongs to the Lord.

The battle belongs to the Lord, it's His.

And so when God gives us a vision, we're always gonna face obstacles.

When God leads us to do something that will confront darkness, there will always be obstacles.

The question is, are we going to stay the course?

Are we gonna stay with what God's called us to do?

Are we listening God's given us a vision?

Are we gonna sit with a vision?

The preferable future.

That's to see more and more young people, more children, more students, more families impacted by church that wants to magnify the Lord, and we believe the battle is the Lord, and there are souls at stake.

Eternity is at stake.

Would you pray with me that Father, thank you for your goodness and your grace?

We pray that you would pour out your spirit, that you would move that that person this morning that's never put their faith in Christ, Lord, that they would be willing to cross over the bridge that Jesus built on our behalf that would reconcile us from being separated and now being reunited in a relationship with our Heavenly Father through what Christ did on his by giving his life on the cross and walking out of that tomb, bodily risen.

We thank you, Jesus.

It's in Jesus' name we pray.

Amen.

Would you stand with me?