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Paul Samuels

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Psalm 121

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“Come to my soul blessed Jesus”

Introduction

Greetings!

We have come to the last Sunday in 2018. We are on the brink of a new year and the Word of God will be coming to us through His manservant Bishop Daley tomorrow. But the Word for today comes to encourage the hearts of every believer! Usually at toward the end of the year we reflect on what has happen throughout the year and start to set goals for this year that we can realistically achieve. As I reflect on God’s goodness this year He has started great things for us has a church.

My scripture is taken from Nehemiah chapter 6 with the key verse being verse 3. This is the scripture where it talks about Nehemiah building the walls…

As a church we are aware of those walls that need to be rebuilt!

We see what needs to be done for the church to thrive!

Have a heart to work

Be the change you want to see!

It begins with you

Don’t be afraid…

Nehemiah’s Commitment (9–10)

“Nehemiah actually went—he traveled the eight hundred miles from Persia to Jerusalem to do the work of rebuilding the walls and the people.”

Many have a heart like Nehemiah’s to do something… they may also have the heart for prayer, the wisdom, the vision, the plan and the faith of a Nehemiah—but they stop short of actually going out and doing what needs to be done for the goal to become a reality.

If you want more, its gonna take more. DISICPLINE!

Some of us already begun a New Year’s Resolution… we plan on going to gym, watch what we eat… lower the debts… Read more… Pray more… Save more… and we have good intentions… until something distracts us… something shifts our focus… something grabs our attention.

“Sometimes we substitute talking about something for actually doing it; it is one think to stand around with other believers and talk about doing some evangelism; praying about it, planning it, talking about it—it is another thing to actually go out and do it! It is when that rubber meets the road! God is in the doing of it”

“Our spiritual enemies don’t mind as long as all we do is plan and pray and talk; but when God’s people start doing something, they take notice”

Not everything you do or about to do has to be shared on Social Media…

Nehemiah’s Truthful Analysis (11–16)

When Nehemiah entered Jerusalem with a military escort and lumber from the king of Persia’s forest, people would notice him—but he didn’t say anything about his mission until the time was right. Good leaders learn a sense of God’s timing.

Nehemiah comes to Jerusalem, full of heart, full of prayer, full of faith, full of wisdom, full of a big vision, full of support from the king, and finally gets to his destination—and what does he do? Nothing! Nothing for three days.

The great theologian Charles Spurgeon said, “You will often find it best not to commit your plans to others. If you want to serve God, go and do it, and then let other people find it out afterwards. You have no need to tell what you are going to do, and, I may add, there is no need for you retelling what you have done, for very, very frequently God withdraws himself when we boast of what is being done.”

Overcome ridicule (19)

When you are doing a good work, there will be opposition…

Spiritual opposition to the work God wants to accomplish is a reality many Christians fail to take account of, and are thus defeated in what God would what them to do.

They wanted Nehemiah to feel mocked, stupid, and foolish.

How many people have been turned away from God’s will because they have experienced or feared scorn! Or because they did not want to be laughed at.

Sooner or later, God will allow every Christian to be tested at this point. Are you more concerned about what people may say about you than what God requires of you?

Sometimes people hold things against us from past mistakes and will never let it go… They always remember what you used to be or what you used to do not knowing that there has been a great changed within you! So your not the same person anymore but you are a child of God and have all the blessings that come with be a child of God!

Fear of what others may think or say cripples the growth of the church! Cripples the life of a believer… Cripples the praise within someone or shout!

And if you are not strong enough to overcome the ridicule of others the work that God has required from you will cease…

We are on the brink of a New Year and we do not have to go into this year fearing what others might say…

The Lord will prosper you (20)

When faced with the choice of pleasing man or pleasing God, Nehemiah knew exactly what he would do. Let them mock—he will serve the Lord.

“It doesn’t matter if you are against us. God’s work will succeed.”

If God be for us… who can be against us.

Don’t be distracted!! Nehemiah wasn’t going to let Tobiah and Sanballat distract him. He had a work to do and he was going to do it. If you allow your enemies to get you to stop what you should be doing and give all your attention to them, your enemies have won.

In facing our enemies, we must always keep focus on who we are and what we should do. Failure to see these will always lead to defeat. These are exactly the things our enemies want us to forget! And sometimes, you just have to proclaim it!

Opposition never goes away. We wish that if we did everything right, as Nehemiah did here, the opposition would just go away. But it didn’t. These two opposed the work all they way until it was finished. But they didn’t stop it! God’s work got done, and they were proved completely wrong.

Verse 1: “I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help?”

· My eyes looks up towards the Lord. Always have a posture that looks up toward God.

· Where does my help come from? It comes from the Lord!

· When in need seek God for help

· Help for what? Both individually and collectively.

· The individual needs to cry out to the sustainer of his soul.

Verse 2: “My help cometh from the Lord, which made heaven and earth.”

· In our journey, the Lord is our help.

· My help comes from the Lord above, who in fact, watches over me.

· the sole source of our help comes from God. Any other source we get help from is counterfeit...

· A term that I have been hearing about the universe… It’s the Lord!

· It wasn’t big bang that the earth began, it was the Lord!

· It’s the Lord that will carry you through..

· All of my help, support, guidance comes from the Lord.

· The One who has made heaven and earth is the One helping me.

· The Lord, creator of all things, is who I draw my help from.

Verse 3: “He will not suffer thy foot to be moved: he that keepeth thee will not slumber.”

· He will not allow me to slip and fall.

· The Lord that keepeth thee will not sleep, as He watches over you.

Verse 4: “Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep.

· The Lord that keepeth Israel, will always watch over you.

· This text reminds me of Israel when Jesphat prayed that we have no might against this army against us but mine eyes are toward you!

Verse 5: “The Lord is thy keeper: the Lord is thy shade upon thy right hand.”

· He keeps, a shelter in time of storm.

Verse 6: The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night.

· The sun will not burn thee..

· Nothing either of the day or night can harm us if God is keeping guard.

Verse 7: “The Lord shall preserve thee from all evil: he shall preserve thy soul.”

· From all evil He will preserve you and keep you.

Verse 8: “The Lord shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore.

Verse 1: “I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help?”

Why lift up mine eyes unto the hills? The eyes looks up towards the Lord. Always have a posture that looks up toward God.

I want a heart like Thine…

I want to first acknowledge the Holy Spirit, the head of my life.

Where does my help come from? It comes from the Lord!

When in need seek God for help

Help for what? Both individually and collectively.

I greet our pastor Bishop Daley and Regional Overseer Bishop Carmen Walters & Rev. Richards in the mighty name of Jesus. Greetings to my wife, the choir, visitors, friends and family

the individual needs to cry out to the sustainer of his soul.

Verse 2: “My help cometh from the Lord, which made heaven and earth.”

Greet the church –

I also want to acknowledge how grateful I am to be behind the sacred desk to deliver the Word today…

In our journey, the Lord is our help.

My help comes from the Lord above, who in fact, watches over me.

the sole source of our help comes from God. Any other source we get help from is counterfeit...

A term that I have been hearing about the universe… It’s the Lord!

It wasn’t big bang that the earth began, it was the Lord!

It’s the Lord that will carry you through..

All of my help, support, guidance comes from the Lord.

The One who has made heaven and earth is the One helping me.

My text comes from a familiar story taken from

The Lord, creator of all things, is who I draw my help from.

Here, Nehemiah, who was a cupbearer to King Artaxerxes, lived in Persia, was told how the remnant of Jerusalem was in great affliction, and reproach… and how the walls were broken down and the gates burned with fire.

Verse 3: “He will not suffer thy foot to be moved: he that keepeth thee will not slumber.”

This was enough to change his countenance.

He will not allow me to slip and fall.

When he heard these words he sat down and wept mourned for days, fasted and prayed!

It grieved his spirit to see his home in such disarray!

The Lord that keepeth thee will not sleep, as He watches over you.

Verse 4: “Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep.

Main Idea of the Text

The Lord that keepeth Israel, will always watch over you.

Today I would like to talk about how through the help of God Nehemiah demonstrated great commitment, great faith to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem, despite being scorned by his adversaries.

Verse 5: “The Lord is thy keeper: the Lord is thy shade upon thy right hand.”

Nehemiah demonstrated great commitment and faith, to rebuild the wall by:

He keeps, a shelter in time of storm.

· Not hesitating to go Jerusalem. which was 800 miles (Commitment)

Verse 6: The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night.

· Overcoming ridicule from Sanballat and Tobiah. (Commitment)

The sun will not burn thee..

Psalms, Volume 3: (Psalms 107–150): An Expositional Commentary God, Our Protector

that nothing either of the day or night can harm us if God is keeping guard.

Nothing either of the day or night can harm us if God is keeping guard.

· Having faith in God that He will prosper him. (Faith)

Verse 7: “The Lord shall preserve thee from all evil: he shall preserve thy soul.”

Nehemiah’s Commitment (11)

From all evil He will preserve you and keep you.

Nehemiah Chapter 2 verse 11 says… “So I came to Jerusalem and was there three days.”

Verse 8: “The Lord shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore.

In an instant, Nehemiah became the change he wanted to see!

Sometimes the change you want to see begins with you…

He did not send the back his brethren to go build the walls themselves;

My help comes from the Lord above, who in fact watches over me.

He took it upon himself with the King’s permission to go and rebuild the walls of Jerusalem.

What I love about Nehemiah is that actually HE went! He was not discouraged on the long journey to Jerusalem.

Scholars says that he traveled 800 hundred miles on his cattle from Persia, where he was, to Jerusalem.

Now… I even looked it up on Google maps because I was so curious…

And from Persia, which is now Iran, to Jerusalem the approximate distance calculates as 2298 kilometers which being converted into miles as approximately 1400 miles by road.

Now I am guessing with the roads and such made up the difference between 1400 – 800 miles…

Needless to say… it was a long journey!

Whether it was a 800-mile or a 1400 mile journey it was a long way,

Either way Nehemiah was committed to the task!

That’s when you know it wasn’t just a phase for Nehemiah but he really had a committed to see the walls rebuilt.

Some of us, when we look how long a journey may take we begin to think better of it.

All sorts of excuses start to come to mind as to why we can’t do something.

Some of us have good intentions and want to do so much but when we look at what it takes to get there we change their mind… Just by looking at how long the journey there may take.

But for Nehemiah, no matter how long the journey would have taken He was going!

He was committed to the task!

Many have a heart like Nehemiah’s to do something… but we stop short of actually going out and doing what needs to be done for the goal to become a reality.

Sometimes we substitute talking about something for actually doing it;

It is one thing to talk about it—it is another thing to actually do it!

Some have already begun to write a New Year’s Resolution… we plan on going to gym, lower the debts… Read more… Pray more… Save more… and we have the good intentions…

But if we are not committed something will creep in and take away from our goals…

Nehemiah’s Faith (12–16)

When Nehemiah came to Jerusalem, and he did not allow the task to overwhelm him…

As he surveyed the walls he knew that it was not going to be easy.

I could imagine how the work can seem impossible.

As he surveyed the land he gave a report to the group of men that was with him.

His report to the group reminds me of Joshua and Caleb, the two spies that were to spy out the land of Canaan.

Their report back to Moses is that we are well able to possess the land!

Nehemiah’s report to the rulers of Jerusalem come let us build up the walls of Jerusalem, God will prosper us!

Many believe that just because the task looks daunting is reason enough not to pursue it.

Whose report do you believe?

Overcome ridicule (19)

When you are doing a good work, there will be opposition…

Sanballat and Tobiah wanted Nehemiah to feel mocked, and foolish just so that he can stop the work…

Spiritual opposition to the work God wants to accomplish is a reality many Christians fail to take account of, and are thus defeated in what God would want them to do.

Many people turn away from doing what they ought to do because it’s not the popular thing to do or because they are afraid to be laughed at.

Sooner or later, God will allow every Christian to be tested at some point.

The question is are you more concerned about what people may say about you than what God requires of you?

Sometimes people hold things against us from past mistakes and will never let it go…

They always remember what you used to be or what you used to do not knowing that there has been a great changed within you!

So you’re not the same person anymore but you are a child of God and have all the blessings that come with being a child of God!

Fear of what others may think or say cripples the growth of the church! Cripples the life of a believer… Cripples the praise within someone or shout!

And if you are not strong enough to overcome the ridicule of others the work that God has required from you will cease…

But encourage you that the Lord has freed you from that passed guilt and whom the Son set free is free indeed!

We can walk in that blessed assurance that Christ has free us from past mistakes and we can walk in liberty!

Positive reinforcement!

And sometimes its just on it’s just one or two people that opposes you but that is nothing compared to the people past and presence who are rooting for you to go on!

We are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses telling us to go on…

The same ones who have walk the same streets of Los Angeles to get here to church rain or shine,

The same ones who walk about this place fasted and prayed for the success of this mission,

The very same ones who wore their uniform great with pride and dignity,

The same ones who have studied and preached from the same bible

Those greats are telling us not to give up,

Telling us not to pay your adversaries no mind,

Keep on going your doing well,

Keep going God is doing a great work in you!

Those are the same ones praying your strength in this Christian journey.

And I can hear in head the late great Bishop D.L Walters say,

1 God is our refuge and strength,

A very present help in trouble.

2 Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed,

And though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea;

3 Though the waters thereof roar and be troubled,

Though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof. Selah.

4 There is a river, the streams whereof shall make glad the city of God,

The holy place of the tabernacles of the most High.

5 God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved:

God shall help her, and that right early.

6 The heathen raged, the kingdoms were moved:

He uttered his voice, the earth melted.

7 The Lord of hosts is with us;

The God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah.

8 Come, behold the works of the Lord,

What desolations he hath made in the earth.

9 He maketh wars to cease unto the end of the earth;

He breaketh the bow, and cutteth the spear in sunder;

He burneth the chariot in the fire.

10 Be still, and know that I am God:

I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.

11 The Lord of hosts is with us;

The God of Jacob is our refuge.

The Lord of hosts is with you

and the God of Jacob is your refuge!

Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah!

Nehemiah’s Faith - The Lord will prosper you (20)

When faced with the choice of pleasing man or pleasing God, Nehemiah knew exactly what he would do.

Let them mock—he will serve the Lord.

No matter how it may seem we will serve the Lord.

“It doesn’t matter if you are against us. God’s work will succeed.”

If God be for us…who can be against us.

This was bold faith!

Opposition never goes away.

We wish that if we did everything right, as Nehemiah did, the opposition would just go away.

But it didn’t.

These two opposed the work all they way until it was finished.

But they didn’t stop it!

God’s work got done, and they were proved completely wrong.

The Lord said if you keep my commandments and do that which is right before the Lord, I will make your way prosperous.

Conclusion

President John F. Kennedy once said, “Ask not what your country can do for you – ask what you can do for your country.”

I would like to borrow that same quote but say, “Ask not what your church can do for you – ask what you can do for your church”

The church is on the move and the Lord is looking for willing workers that can help build the church.

Intention of the Text

Become aware of what needs to be rebuilt within the church and commit to building it back up again despite the obstacles that may come with it…

Goal of the Text

Commit to doing the Lord’s work and he will make your way to prosper. building up that which has been broken down…

Only what you do for Christ will last..

The Lord will restore what the cankerworm as eaten…

Nehemiah took the initiative and became the change he wanted to see… through the help of God you too can be the change you want to see.

“I woke up this morning Saw a world full of trouble now, thought How’d we ever get so far down, and How’s it ever gonna turn around So I turned my eyes to Heaven I thought, “God, why don’t You do something?” Well, I just couldn’t bear the thought of People living in poverty Children sold into slavery The thought disgusted me So, I shook my fist at Heaven Said, “God, why don’t You do something?” He said, “I did, yeah, I created you” (now listen)

If not us, then who If not me and you Right now, it’s time for us to do something, yeah If not now, then when Will we see an end To all this pain Oh, it’s not enough to do nothing It’s time for us to do something”