Greg Laurie and Harvest Ministries recommend the bestselling book Cold Case Christianity from former detective J. Warner Wallace. That's a book we're offering this month to our listeners Cold Case Christianity written by detective J. Warner Wallace. A homicide detective investigates the claims of the gospel. So, get your own copy of Cold Case Christianity. It's our offer for this month for your gift of any size.
Request yours for a limited time at Harvest.org. We can pray all day long for God to give us the strength to do something. Sometimes I gotta just do it. Just take that little step of faith. The emotions and the feelings will catch up. Sometimes the faith in our hearts has to have a talk with the action of our feet. Pastor Greg Laurie points out it needs to say go.
Sometimes we gotta just make the move. The time for intercession has passed. The time for intervention has come. It's time to take action.
Do you ever sit in your car with the engine running but haven't yet put it in drive? You can pray for direction all day, but at some point you gotta step on the gas. Pastor Greg Laurie says our Christian walk is like that.
There's a time to be still and trust, but there's also a time to move. Maybe God is calling you to take action just like He did with Nehemiah. Today on A New Beginning, good encouragement about stepping up and moving forward in our walk of faith. This is the day, the day when life begins.
Why don't you grab your Bible and then turn to Nehemiah chapter 2. And the title of my message is Rebuilding the Ruins of Your Life. But we look at our own lives and maybe that is a picture of how our life looks so to speak. A fire of sorts has wreaked havoc in your life and you're looking at a pile of rubble. Things went along reasonably well or so you thought and then an explosion of sorts hit. Maybe your spouse said to you that they're done with the marriage or your child is leaving the faith.
Or suddenly you're facing a health crisis of some kind or some other event has happened and you have no ability to fix it whatsoever. Well that was the state of Israel in the text that we're going to be looking at right now in the book of Nehemiah. The city of Jerusalem was lying in rubble and ruins. The once proud walls that surrounded the city were now just charred and weeds were growing over them.
And it was a picture not just of a city but of the people as well. So of course what happened was the Israelites kept turning to false gods. God warned them to the prophets that they would face repercussions for that. They ignored the warnings of the prophets and they were taking captivity to Babylon for 70 years. Ruled by Nebuchadnezzar. Then later by his wicked grandson Belshazzar. But then Cyrus and the Medo-Persian forces come and conquer Babylon and Cyrus frees the Jews to go back to their homeland again.
And so that's where we sort of enter the narrative. And so Artaxerxes is on the throne of Persia at this point and Nehemiah, the title of the book and also a principal character in our story, is the cup bearer to the king. And to be a cup bearer meant that you were in a very high ranking position of affluence and influence. You had the king's ear. Some think he was the second most powerful man in the kingdom. Before the king would eat the food, Nehemiah would taste it first. So something happened one day that changed everything for him.
He found out that the city of Jerusalem was lying in ruin. After he had asked how were things going back there when someone came from Jerusalem. And that's where we pick up our message.
And so if you're taking notes, here's point number one. We need to help God's people when they are hurting. We need to help God's people when they are hurting because we are the church and we are a family. And the Bible compares the church to a body, specifically the body of Christ. In 1 Corinthians 12 26 it says, if one part suffers, all the parts suffer with it. And if one part is honored, then all the parts are glad.
And so just as a human body is interconnected, so is the body of Christ. I mean, if you injure yourself, your whole body notes it, even stubbing your toe. Oh, I hate to stub my toe. You know, you hit something and there's the initial pain, but you know the big pain's coming in a moment. Or have you ever bitten the inside of your mouth?
Am I the only one? I'm just talking, all of a sudden I go, what was that all about? And now it's a little swollen and you bite it again. And because it's swollen even more, you bite it again. So now you're eating your food, holding your cheek out.
Has this happened to anybody else? Raise your hand. I'm glad I'm not the only one. I've had it happen when I'm speaking like crazy. So you're very aware of it. If you stub your toe, you're compensating for it. You're kind of limping. So in the same way if one part of the body of Christ is hurting, in effect we all are hurting. And maybe our natural inclination is if someone is in pain, we want to walk the other direction.
But in reality, we should try to help them. You know, I've been a pastor now for 50 years. And some things I love and some things are very hard. For instance, it's very hard for me to speak to you. I don't enjoy it at all.
No, I'm joking. This is actually the part I enjoy the most is speaking. I'll tell you what's hard, honestly. It's funeral services. And the hardest funeral services are for children. And for all the many years I've been doing this, I've done many services, unfortunately, for children. And you're trying to find the right words to say because it's so hard to look at a casket of someone you knew.
But then when it's a small little casket and you think of that little child, it's very hard to deal with. And I've always done my best to try to bring comfort and help to families who are mourning the loss of their loved one. Then one day I found myself in the front row of the church, not as the pastor but as a grieving father. Pastor Chuck Smith spoke at my son's funeral service. And it changed everything for me.
It changed the way I looked at things. And suddenly I found myself in a position I'd never planned on being in, which is someone who helps families who've lost children. I didn't ask for this ministry.
I didn't really want this ministry. But I accepted that God let this happen to me and I did not want to waste my pain. And I found that people would listen to me because I had suffered the loss of a child.
And I'm not only people in our own church, I've talked to people all around the country who reach out to me, would you call this person, would you talk to that person. I've had families of 25 people at a time come in asking me to talk to their whole family and try to help them through it. And I don't have any magic words for them, but what I can tell them is this is going to be very hard. You're going to mourn this for a long time. But I want you to know that you're going to experience joy again down the road, that happiness will return. But this will always be a pain in your life, especially your child. You never get over it. Never ask someone who's lost a child, are you over it yet? They'll never be over it. They're just getting through it. They're in different stages of getting through it. But I've tried to do what I can to help people in that position.
As I said, I don't want to waste my pain. So the Bible tells us weep with those that weep. So Nehemiah heard bad news. He goes, I've got to do something. God's put me in this position as the cupbearer to the king.
I have the ear of the most powerful man on planet earth, and I've got to go to him, and I've got to appeal to him. So yes, we are to weep with those that weep. You know, it's interesting, the Bible says weep with those that weep and rejoice with those that rejoice. I think it's easier sometimes to weep with someone who weeps than it is to rejoice with someone who rejoices.
Let me illustrate. Someone calls you, oh man, I just lost my job. Oh, I'm so sorry. Then another person calls you, oh, I just got promoted and I'm making 20 times what I made before. And you're like, oh, praise God. A little jealous.
I can weep with that guy over there, but this person here, it's a little harder to rejoice with the one who is rejoicing. So Nehemiah heard about the walls of Jerusalem lying in rubble, and he wanted to do something because walls mattered to them back then. Walls obviously protected this city.
They were a symbol. The walls matter now, too. For instance, the walls of faithfulness protect the marriage. The walls of marriage protect the family. The walls of the family protect our nation. The reason our nation is experiencing so many problems right now is the breakdown of the family. As I've said many times, you can look at all the stats that supported almost every problem in our culture today is due to the breakdown of the family.
If the family was stronger, the nation would be stronger. And so we find that the walls come down and the other things begin to happen as a result. So Nehemiah hears this and he prays. He prays for four months. Lord, you've got to show me what to do. So this is a real example of what to do when you're facing crisis.
Pastor Greg Laurie will have the second half of his message in just a moment. Hey, everyone, I want you to know about our app called Harvest Plus. Think of it as a Harvest version of Netflix.
We have all of our resources in one place. We have our movies like Steve McQueen, The Salvation of an American Icon, Johnny Cash, The Redemption of an American Icon, A Rush of Hope and much more. Then we have our television program, Daily Devotions and much more.
So go and download the Harvest Plus app. Nehemiah was in a time of crisis, just like we face times of crisis. And Pastor Greg is helping us learn from his response in the message, Rebuilding the Ruins of Your Life. Let's pick it up in Nehemiah chapter two, verse one. Early the following spring in the month of Nissan.
That's right after the month of Toyota. During the 20th year of King Artaxerxes reign, I was serving the king his wine. I'd never appeared sad in his presence. So the king asked me, why are you looking so sad?
You don't look sick to me. You must be deeply troubled. Then I was terrified, says Nehemiah. But I replied, long live the king. How can I not be sad for the city where my ancestors are buried is in ruins and the gates have been destroyed by fire. The king asked, how can I help you? With a prayer to the God of heaven. I replied, if it please the king and if you're pleased with me your servant, send me to Judah to rebuild the city where my ancestors are buried. The king with the queen beside him asked, how long will you be gone and when will you return? After I told him how long I would be gone, the king agreed to my request. What a powerful narrative that is. That brings me to point number two. There is a time to pray and there's a time to move.
There's a time to pray and there's a time to move. So here's Nehemiah looking sad. And by the way, a cupbearer was supposed to be a cheerful person, an encouraging person. Someone the king would want to have around because of the close proximity to the king. You really weren't supposed to ever be sad in his presence.
So I think you can conclude from the way this story goes is that normally Nehemiah was a pretty upbeat person. A pleasant person to be around. Not everyone is pleasant to be around. We all know a Debbie Downer or a Bobby Buzzkill or worse, a Karen. I'm sorry if your name is Karen.
I did not coin the name Karen. I'm sorry. It's not fair in many ways. But you know, those people, they can be very difficult to deal with.
You couldn't be that if you were the cupbearer. But I think Nehemiah was a godly man and a happy man. And that's a good thing to be said about a Christian. That they're cheerful. They're helpful. They're encouraging. They're always offering to help.
Do something a little extra and so forth. So that's Nehemiah. So it was noticeable to the king. The change in his countenance and his expression. He goes, hey man, why are you so sad?
I mean, you don't look sick to me. Something must be going on. And that brings us to point number three. Nehemiah had a plan. He was praying, Lord, open the door for me now. Open the door to have a conversation with the king. Show me the right moment. So the king asked him. He thinks, that's it.
That's the right moment. So Nehemiah prays in Nehemiah chapter 2 verse 7. I say to the king, if it please the king, let me have letters addressed to the governors of the province west of the Euphrates River, instructing them to let me travel safely through the territories on my way to Judah. And please give me a letter addressed to Asaph, the manager of the king's forest, instructing him to give me timber. I'll need to make beams for the gates of the temple fortress, for the city walls and a house for myself. And the king granted these requests because the gracious hand of God was on me.
I love this. This is so practical. Nehemiah had already been down to Home Depot. He already figured out what he needed. He's got the whole plan. He's got the whole list.
Okay, well since you asked, here's what I need. He was dependent on God, but he was praying. And he gives God the credit.
For he says in Nehemiah 2, 18, the king granted these requests because the gracious hand of God was on me. You know, sometimes we go to two extremes when it comes to wanting to see God work in our life. One extreme is we just worry and fret and we don't pray about it.
The other is we pray but we don't take practical steps. I heard a story about three men that came to a raging, violent river and they needed to get to the other side. So the first man prayed, God, give me the strength to cross the river. And poof, suddenly he had bulging biceps and muscular legs and he dove in and began to swim and he almost drowned. But after a couple of hours, he made it to the other side.
This is a true story. So the second guy watching this says, God, give me the strength and the tools to cross the river. And poof, a rowboat appeared and he was also muscular and strong. So he got in the little rowboat and paddled over, capsized twice, but after about an hour made it to the other side. The third guy says, God, give me the strength and the tools and the intelligence to cross a river. And poof, he became a woman.
And she pulled out a map and walked 100 feet and crossed the bridge to the other side. Did you girls like that? Did you guys like that joke? Just totally threw you and me under the bus. But see, what I like about that story, don't make too much about a man becoming a woman there, it's just a joke, okay? That's not what I'm referring to. A man is a man, a woman is a woman, okay?
It's a joke, right? We got that. But there's the spiritual and there's the practical. This is illustrated in the children of Israel standing on the brink of the Red Sea with the Egyptian army in hot pursuit. They were between the devil and the deep blue sea. And Moses is freaking out and he's praying, oh God, help, and God's saying, why are you praying? This is not a time to pray, this is a time to move.
Hold your staff out over the Red Sea and cross over on dry ground to the other side. And that's exactly what they did and sometimes we've got to just make the move. The time for intercession has passed, the time for intervention has come.
It's time to take action. Let's say you're having trouble in your marriage and you're praying, oh God, save my marriage, it's falling apart. Lord, do something, okay, that's good, pray that. But are you just doing your part, husbands? Are you seeking to love your wife as Christ loves the church as the Bible tells you to? Or wife, you might be praying for the same thing, but the Bible says, wives, respect your husband.
Like make sure you're doing your part while you're praying for your marriage. Or maybe you find yourself saying, Lord, that person, they need the gospel, they need to believe in you. Lord, just save them, I'm praying you'll just show them their need for Jesus, amen, good, now go preach the gospel to them. It's good to pray, but have you preached the gospel to them yet? Or there might be someone you need to forgive, Lord, give me the strength to forgive this person, good, pray that. Now just go forgive them. Well, I'm not feeling it. Well, do you need to feel it? The Bible says be tenderhearted, forgiving one another as God in Christ has forgiven you.
It doesn't say make sure you feel it first, then do it. One of my favorite stories is of a lady named Corrie Ten Boom who lived in the days of World War II and she was a Dutch lady along with her family. They hid Jewish people in their home from the Gestapo and they were eventually all sent to concentration camps and Corrie ended up in a camp called Ravensbruck.
And her sister Betsy died in that camp and there was a particular commandant who treated Betsy and Corrie with horrible cruelty. So fast forward now, Corrie got out of that concentration camp and she's speaking now, telling her story. And she's at a church in Germany and she gave a message on how God delivered her and what God did in that camp and how she was changed. And now at the end of the service, a man walks up to her and says, Fraulein Ten Boom, I wanted to thank you for your message.
I too am a Christian and I actually worked at Ravensbruck. And suddenly she remembered him. She remembered him in that Nazi uniform.
She remembered this was the man in particular who had treated her so cruelly. He extends his hand. He says, please forgive me. And she looked at his hand and said, I couldn't shake his hand. And she said, in an act of obedience, I took his hand and shook it and said, I forgive you my brother.
She said, like a current of electricity went through my arm and I felt it. But first she did it, you see. So we can pray all day long for God to give us the strength to do something.
Sometimes I got to just do it. Just take that little step of faith. The emotions and the feelings will catch up.
So Nehemiah has a plan. Okay, I prayed for four months. Now it's time to do something.
Great insights today on the importance of taking action. Pastor Greg Laurie with his message called Rebuilding the Ruins of Your Life today here on A New Beginning. Now of course the most effective way to rebuild a ruined life is to come to the Lord and ask him to forgive us, to repair us, and to restore us. Have you ever come to God in that way? Pastor Greg, what would you say to the person listening who's just not sure if they've ever come to the Lord and asked him to be their Savior? Yes, I think they need to make this commitment to Christ.
Here's what the Bible says, whoever will call upon the name of the Lord will be saved. So you need to reach out to God. Not just think about it. Not just say, one of these days I would like to. Just do it.
In fact, you can do it right now. You say, well, how do I call out to the name of the Lord? You do it through prayer.
God is just a prayer away. He desires a relationship with you. He wants you to know him.
He wants to reveal himself to you. So you just need to call out and say, Lord, save me and help me. How about if I lead you in a prayer? And you could pray this prayer after me. You can pray it out loud if you like. You can pray it quietly in your heart. But direct this prayer toward God and you could pray it after me right now.
You ready? Pray this after me. Lord Jesus, I know that I'm a sinner. But I know that you're the Savior.
And I want a relationship with you. So as your word says, I'm calling on the name of the Lord. I'm asking you to save me from my sin.
And I'm asking that we begin a new relationship today. Thank you for loving me and sending your son Jesus to die on the cross for my sin and then raising him from the dead. I now put my faith and trust in Jesus Christ. And I ask this in Jesus' name. Amen.
Amen. And listen, if you have just prayed that prayer along with Pastor Greg and you've meant those words sincerely, let us be the first to welcome you into the family of God. And we want to help you get started off right in this new daily walk with the Lord. Pastor Greg would like to send you his New Believers Bible. It's a special edition of God's Word for those who are new to the faith, with scores of helps for new believers written by Pastor Greg.
So get in touch and ask for the New Believers Bible. We'll send it your way free of charge. Just call 1-800-821-3300.
That's 1-800-821-3300. Or just go online to harvest.org and click the words Know God. And then thank you for partnering with us to help these daily studies continue.
Your investments have eternal benefits. Why not make this a part of your personal ministry, to partner in an effort that's making a real difference with the gospel of Jesus Christ. Thank you for your prayers and for prayerfully considering how God might lead you to help tangibly. Online you'll find us at harvest.org. And there you'll see the way we'd like to thank you for your donation right now.
That's harvest.org. Or write us at A New Beginning, Box 4000, Riverside, CA 92514. Or call us at 1-800-821-3300. We're here around the clock to take your call again at 1-800-821-3300. Well next time, good insight on the importance of teamwork in our walk with the Lord, or taking together with other members of the body of Christ. Join us here on A New Beginning with pastor and Bible teacher, Greg Laurie.
