Don't Give Up | God's Instrument

We are glad you're joining us for a new beginning with Greg Laurie, a podcast supported by harvest partners get more encouraging audio content. When you subscribe to pastor Greg Staley Devos learn more and sign up@harvest.org if you were serving the Lord, whatever that might be you are doing a great work for God. You may not be about why one word may not get much notice of all glory. Remember your serving to serve him well. It's all about us what God is called to do everything Johnson every loved Johnson every moment Johnson do it all glory and made among you was Antonio strata very does not apply whether the live was never heard of. Today is a new beginning. Greg Laurie pointed out whether we play an instrument, make or just listen to we could all be in the hand of God, serve God with we are in the book of Nehemiah.

Let's Nehemiah chapters Nehemiah chapter 6 the title of my messages don't give. Don't give up before we dig in. Why don't we pray together now. Father, I know that there are people here today.

People that are listening that maybe are discouraged their downhearted their overwhelmed Lord I pray that they'll be encouraged today and that they will realize that they can finish what you call them to begin because you are the author and the finisher of our faith. So are asking your blessing though as we open your word and look at the book of Nehemiah. We believe all Scripture is given from you. It's breathed from heaven. It's inspired by God. So speak to us through your inspired word, we would ask now in Jesus name, amen. Over looking out the book of Nehemiah in the series were calling the rebuild life. I was looking at how the people of Israel return from their captivity in Babylon and build up the walls of Jerusalem. There were lying in shard rubble and it's been done in 50 today.

How did he do it. Simple answer. He kept his eye on the ball. That brings me to my first point before we read point number one if you're taking notes don't get sidetracked.

Stay focused again, don't get sidetracked.

Stay focused. Nehemiah 6 verse one sunblock to buy a guess of the Arab and the rest of the enemies found out that I had finished rebuilding the wall and remain though we had not yet set up the doors and the gates of sun blotting just sent a message asking me to meet them at one of the villages in the plain of Ono, but I realize they were plotting to harm stop there. So the jobs almost, not quite the doors of not yet been point number two Satan hits hardest at the beginning and the end we say that again Satan gets us hardest at the beginning and the yen, so there was great opposition when they started to build the wall another's great opposition when the wall is finished and they're getting ready to hang the doors and it's true in our life off of the double get this hardest at the beginning and end when you first come to Christ all you became a Christian he wants to pull you back down. Remember the parable of the sower Jesus, talk about the sower that the seed out. I went on the road side, the birds ate it done quickly so like many go to McDonald's and then operator wherever in the birds are just waiting, waiting, waiting, and sometimes a way for the food to get the ground. Sometimes they'll take it if you look away as applets get very aggressive. These little birds and that's the idea that if Jesus said these are they that hear the word of God but Satan comes immediately to snatch away what was in their heart. You remember what it was like when he first became a Christian. Some of you are new Christian and you're freaking out because you think you want to get tempted all the time wise is all this crazy stuff coming out week while my old friends calling me up wanting the party why why why is this other thing happening what's going on doubles trying to pull you down because you just started the most amazing journey you'll ever be on online following Christ then fast forward now becoming maybe toward the end of your journey.

Maybe getting a bit older and the devil says I want to get you now because I get you now I can discredit you for all those years you did good for God's glory. And so you know what that they haven't really hit you at the beginning and the end he's persistently good.

Verse four.

Four times they sent the same message, and each time I gave the same reply. I am engaged in the great work so I can't come. Why should I stop working to come and meet with you.

Point number three you're taking notes. Take care of your character and God will take care of your reputation.

Take care of your character. Your personal integrity and God will take care of your reputation now sunblock challenges the personal motives of Nehemiah verse five, the fifth time some blood servant came with an open letter in his hand and this is what it said there's a rumor among the surrounding nations ingestion tells me it's true that you and the Jews are planning to rebel and that's why you're building the wall. According to the report you plan to be their king. He also reports you've appointed prophets in Jerusalem claim about you look there is a king in Judah.

You can be very sure this report will get back to the king, will I suggest you come and talk it over with me when there to testing another trick in the version to get Nehemiah off the wall so they could attack in this time it's slander and here's the interesting thing.

Don't miss this they were accusing Nehemiah of the very thing they were guilty of Nehemiah wasn't trying to be the king. He was serving the king to the point Nehemiah had been underwritten in this project by the king. He was a close friend and confidant of the King and the King even said a bodyguard to protect them. So he was good with the king with their sin. Ono you want to be the king. This is all about you.

You're in some kind of an ego trip. They were in effect projecting their sin on Nehemiah. This is exactly what Jesus was talking about when he spoke of the suspect and the beam in the sermon on the Mount in Matthew seven he says.

Why do you look at the speck in your brother's but not consider the beam of the plank in your own eye.

How can you say to your brother: we remove the speck from your eye and look there's a plank in your own let me update that how can you get this sawdust out of your brother's eye.

When you have a telephone pole in your that's what Jesus is saying all this is really interesting because the word that he uses for spec and for being more for plank are of the same substance, meaning that Jesus is saying the reason some people are so adapted finding fault in others is because they're so familiar with that themselves very thing they were accusing Nehemiah of doing. They were personally guilty of your great glory will have the second half of his message in just a moment whenever you reach out to us, whether through email a letter or even a text message we read every word. Pastor Greg went to thank you for everything you do. If it wasn't for your messages. I honestly believe my husband and I would no longer be married. It's been difficult as my husband is in the military and we have a special needs child. One night when I was about to meet him beg me to stay and watch your married sermons on YouTube and so I did. Now when we go to bad we still watch your sermon videos that we don't use them to fall asleep. Of course there's a lot obviously left out but I hope one day we can talk in person. In March we celebrated our 14th wedding anniversary.

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Thank you and God bless how encouraging streaks teachings help to save this marriage story to share. If so, would you let us know tell us your story by calling 1-866-871-1144 again.

Next, 866-871-1144 Pastor Greg is presenting a message from Nehemiah 6 today called don't give up. Let's continue. Number four. When you come under attack.

You need to pray when you come under attack. You need to pray look at Nehemiah's response, verse six, I sent them this reply.

Nothing like what you're saying is happening here just making it up out of your head. I love that is new living translation is a good one. Here's a update. This is fake news guys, you're making it up and you know what I'm talking to dignified even for a moment, I'll just say it's not true. You made it up but I will work to do. That's why I said if you take care of your character, God will take care of your reputation. So we prayed and he says in verse nine, the Lord strengthen my hands know the story takes an interesting twist in a creepy character enters our narrative. He appears to be more spiritual, but he's just as wicked as the others. His name is Sean Maia and he actually was a pre-because he was a priest. He invited Nehemiah to come visit him in the MI out of respect did pay him a visit and it's in verse 10.

Later I came to visit Sean Maia, son of Lelia and grandson of Beth, the Bell, for he was confined to his home and he said let's meet together in the temple of God and pull the doors shut your enemies are coming to kill you tonight was a very clever strategy is this guy is supposedly a man of God, and even a prophet, and he's telling Nehemiah income to the temple will bolt the doors. There are people that are out to kill you there assassin out hunting for you right now but come here in the temple and you'll be safe when in reality the real job was if Nehemiah went they would have killed him right there in the temple yeah sure Maia was a prophet. All right, a false prophet and Nehemiah was not only hard-working. He also was very discerning and he understood what this guy was up to.

First of all, he knew he shouldn't go into the temple. Another way to translated this holy of holies interchangeable word here. So basically surmising coming to the holy of holies Nehemiah is like a man on the priest, I don't belong in the holy of holies. That's what the Bible says so whatever you're selling here. I'm not buying it because you're not properly representing God so he would not do it. I love his response verse 11. Should someone in my position run from danger.

Should someone in my position and of the temple to save his life. No, I won't do it this paraphrase. You want me to cut and run, forget about it jump in the lake. I'm not doing it bring me to my last point point number five.

We need to finish the work God has called us to do. We need to finish the work God is called us to do verse three, so I sent messengers to them saying I'm doing a great work and I cannot come down, so why should the work cease will leave it go down to you. I'm not coming down from the wall. God's call me to build this wall. I'm staying on this while I'm not going down.oh no, I'm not going to the temple.

I'm not going anywhere because I'm doing a great work for God. Listen to this. If you are serving the Lord, whatever that might be you are doing a great work for God. The people that help you find a parking spot today at church are doing a great work for God's truth. The answers that help you find his seat to sit in today. They're doing a great work for God. The people that stand on this platform and lead us in worship. They're doing a great work for God. The Sunday school teachers that lovingly and patiently minister to your children while you're down here are doing a great work for God.

These people are trying to work properly for their not paid to do this.

This is in the job. This is there ministry there doing this is under the Lord serving you there doing a great work for God. The security team that watches over us here to keep us safe. There doing a great work for God.

Every one of the folks that are in the back accept Christ in the share with them what it means to be a Christian. There doing a great work for God. It's all a great work. I sent on this stage I'm doing a great work for God. Don't let me say something about that.

I'm not doing a greater work for God than someone else. I'm doing my great work for God so you going to do your great work for God is not about better words greater lesser it's all about faithfulness, faithfulness, faithfulness to what God is called you to do all be judged according to what the Lord called me to do to be judge for the same.

So here's my word of encouragement to you today on your place in this church so you can start doing your great work for God. There's a place for you to serve my feet know you're clapping you better go sign up for something here is so I mentioned a few things. Maybe one of those things is near you could help him. We have so many things we do here in this church each and every day for you to serve for you to get involved. We can all do our great work for God.

But here's the thing you don't know and I don't know we don't know how long the race is going to go so I just take each day I treated as though it were my last day is able great that's good for you.

You know you're getting a little older now so you should be thinking about that yeah okay that I'm young and I've got my whole life in front of me and this doesn't apply to me really, it doesn't. What is your life good and well long time.

For now, how do you know that you don't you see, you don't know where you are in the race. You may think you're at the beginning, when in reality you may be toward the end. You may think that you're toward the middle and actually you're more toward the beginning you a lot longer to go.

That's why every day counts. Every lap counts every moment counts do it all for the glory of God making speaking you know my son, Christopher, age 33 went to be with the Lord almost 10 years ago now where he's buried. We have a plaque in it says his name Christopher David Lori son, brother, husband, father, and then it says that the second Timothy two.

I fought the good fight, I kept the faith. I finish the course. Who would've ever known that his course would end so soon, but it did and now there's that reward for him in heaven and it waits for all of us as we faithfully finish it to make sure you're ready for that day.

Let me say one last thing about the story will close today and that is that Nehemiah was asked to come down from the wall and he wouldn't do it but actually God came down from heaven for us 2000 years ago you looked out from evidence that you know are the earth.

This is your problem you sorted out. But God came down from heaven and at the age of 33. He laid his life down and willingly died on the cross, when he was hanging on the cross he said come down from the cross. If you're really the son of God proven fact is, if he came down from the cross, he could never save them. So the reason he stayed on the cross was all he could die for their sins. Let me personalize it so he could die for your sins and guess what you've a lot of sin a lot more than you may even realize and so to why we all do, but Christ died for those sins. He paid the price for those sins and then he rose again from the dead and always alive and he's ready to come in any life, any heart he stands at the door and he knocks and he says if you hear his voice and open the door will come in. Would you like Jesus to come in your life today. Would you like to know that you go to heaven when you die, you can know this for sure not whole but not think it know it, you'll come and live inside of you, but you must say Lord I open that door, you know, I talked about keeping doors shut door to your mind dirty her mouth. Here's a dory need to open up wide the door of your life of your heart say Jesus I want you here. I want you to be my Lord, I want you to be my God, I want you to be my Savior. I want you to be my friend. I want you to be my counselor.

I want you to do the work of my life that you want to do.

I invite you win if you will ask him to come and he will and he will change your life today for time and eternity.

So were going to close in prayer and I'm in a give you an opportunity to ask Christ to come into your life. If you haven't done this yet. Please do this now. You will not regret it. Let's all bow our heads everybody praying father think you for loving us so much that you sent Jesus to this earth to be born in a manger to Diana cross to pay for our sins and the rise again from the dead know Lord Jesus we pray that your Holy Spirit will convict and convince every person here every person wherever they are, of their need for you and help them to come to you and believe in Jesus name I pray in your great glory, pointing out the need to come to the Lord to find forgiveness for sins and the hope of heaven if you'd like to follow through and make a change in your relationship with God today. Pastor Greg will help you do that in just a moment before today's addition of a new beginning. Concludes with Pastor Greg. You just released her new book, Lennon Dylan, Alice and Jesus yeah and were making it available right now through a new beginning. Yes, let me ask you in researching and writing the book.

What do you suppose rock stars and for that matter.

Celebrities of all different stripes. Why do they seem to self-destruct so often.

I think a lot of these folks are our damaged goods and so many of them come from broken homes, so many of them come from horrible backgrounds or they come from horrible poverty or something else and and they want to be noticed. They want their life to matter. They want their life. They have meaning and I think there's actually searching for fulfillment through fame and fortune their thinking if I could one day be famous if I could one day live in a mansion if I can 1 Day Dr., Rolls-Royce or Ferrari or whatever it is that I one day he had people chanting my name that would bring happiness and of course that's not true and they climbed to the top of the mountain and they find out there's nothing there so I think many of them are really just on a search for the meaning of life, but there born with the talent as a singer as an actor as a performer of some kind and so many of them rugged quickly to the top and then is like the worst thing that can happen when you don't have a support structure to help you deal with all that adulation, fame and success in all that money you make.

I mean, I know it's a cliché when we read the stories of these folks said just spend money like crazy and they find themselves bankrupt and then trouble will be there not prepared for that kind of a life they just like to sing or are they like the performer they like to do something else and then they have this incredible success that can be absolutely.

In many cases devastating to them but I think a lot of these guys are searching for peace and meaning. Why are they here on this earth.

It just about this. Don't take the wrong course in life don't think that things will fill that void in your life or a career will do it, or success will do it, or sex will do it, or any other thing. What you really want what you really need is a relationship with Jesus Christ and discover his plan for your life and get to know him and then you'll have that happiness and that peace that you've longed for throughout your entire life is right is such a strong evangelism tool and a fascinating group of many biographies of so many of the names we know well the subtitle is the spiritual biography of rock 'n' roll and would like to send you Pastor Greg's new book, Lennon Dylan, Alice, and Jesus is her way of saying thank you for your investment in these daily studies were completely listener supported. We couldn't be here each day without the generosity of listeners like you. So thank you for your partnership and when you send your donation be sure to ask for Lennon Dylan, Alice and Jesus call us at 1-800-821-3300. We are here round-the-clock to take your call 1-800-821-3300 or go online to harvest.org will Pastor Greg getting back to what you close your message today.

You spoke of how someone can accept God's offer of eternal life.

That's right, could you help the person who wants to do that very thing right now.

Yes, I'd be delighted to listen as you listen to this program today. Maybe some is been happening inside of your heart where your sensing. I need to do this personally, but how do I do it and what or why do let me help you. It's very simple affected so simple. You may be shocked God this relationship with him is just a prayer away. The Bible says if you will call upon the name of the Lord you will be saved, so I'd like to lead you in a prayer we you do just that you call on the name of the Lord. This can be the moment when you change your eternal address literally from hell to heaven. Just pray these words Lord Jesus, I know that I'm a sinner but I know that you're the Savior who died on the cross for me, and rose again from the dead, Jesus I choose to follow you from this moment forward in your name I pray. Amen. I know it's such a simple short prayer but you just call on the name of the Lord, and you know what he heard that prayer if you meant that prayer in your heart, he answered that prayer no let me help you to get started on the right foot in your new life in Jesus Christ.

The greatest adventure awaits you the life of walking with God. I want to send you what we call a new believers growth pack that includes the new believers Bible and a whole lot more and let me be the first to see the you congratulations and welcome to the family of God to get that free new believers growth pack.

Just ask for it if you prayed along with Pastor Greg to receive Christ will be glad to send 1 Your Way. Call us at 1-800-821-3300. We are here to take your call around the clock that's 1-800-821-3300 or go online to harvest.org and click know God. Next time as Pastor Greg continues her series in the challenging book of Nehemiah will check up on her so and see if it's time for a personal spiritual revival. Join us here on the new beginning pastor and Bible teacher Greg Moore and everybody thinks or listening to an beginning this is a podcast made possible by harvest partners. So for more content can help you know God and equip you to make him known to others or to learn more about how you can become a harvest partner.

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