Restoration walls
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3 They said to me, “The remnant there in the province who survived the captivity are in great distress and reproach, and the wall of Jerusalem is broken down and its gates are burned with fire.” 4 When I heard these words, I sat down and wept and mourned for days; and I was fasting and praying before the God of heaven. 5 I said, “I beseech You, O Lord God of heaven, the great and awesome God, who preserves the covenant and lovingkindness for those who love Him and keep His commandments, 6 let Your ear now be attentive and Your eyes open to hear the prayer of Your servant which I am praying before You now, day and night, on behalf of the sons of Israel Your servants, confessing the sins of the sons of Israel which we have sinned against You; I and my father’s house have sinned. 7 “We have acted very corruptly against You and have not kept the commandments, nor the statutes, nor the ordinances which You commanded Your servant Moses. 8 “Remember the word which You commanded Your servant Moses, saying, ‘If you are unfaithful I will scatter you among the peoples; 9 but if you return to Me and keep My commandments and do them, though those of you who have been scattered were in the most remote part of the heavens, I will gather them from there and will bring them to the place where I have chosen to cause My name to dwell.’ 10 “They are Your servants and Your people whom You redeemed by Your great power and by Your strong hand.
Often i talk about pain
and how pain causes us to build wall..
hurt bitterness, rejection, loneliness, and shame makes us do the same things
walls to keep others out, but at the same time these walls make us prisoner.
wall can cause us from possessing the things that God has for us.
possessing the land if you will
A land overflowing with milk and honey.
A place of space and freedom. Joy and happiness.
There was a problem for Israel and they were about to possess their promise lans.
It was already occupied.
The enemy wants to occupy the places in you that God want to possess.
So for God to come into those places some walls have to come down and some things and people have to go.
I think of Jesus on Palm Sunday riding on a donkey . they shouted Hosanna in the highest
save now! in the same way christ wants to make His way into our Hearts.
To possess and reign over us, His creation.
Do you know that he created you so that he could dwell in you?
Stephan tells us in Acts 7 that God is not looking for a house built by human hands.
48 “However, the Most High does not dwell in houses made by human hands; as the prophet says:
He wants to possess His people
So Jesus can into Jerusalem.
And took his place as the great king over Zion.
For Christ to come in there need to be an opening.
For Christ to come in your heart. We need to open it up by faith.
We need to let him bring the walls of sin and shame down. So that the king of Glory can come in.
Now what are Walls used for?
Protection and to keep things out.
Back in bible days, cities possessed strong exterior walls to protect their people and wealth.
Walls create barriers.
We have been focusing on the bad walls. And they have to bring those walls down.
But when Jesus come into your life he want to build now walls of protection and strength.
He want to give you a refuge and a hiding place a place in him that the enemy can not come in.
A place of Peace.
He want to Position you in a Place of Peace.
Say that with me
God want to Position me in a Place of Peace.
Where the devil can’t reach me.
David said in Psalms 18:1-2
1 “I love You, O Lord, my strength.” 2 The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, My God, my rock, in whom I take refuge; My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
Psalms 62:2 he says
2 He only is my rock and my salvation, My stronghold; I shall not be greatly shaken.
Then he cries in Psalms 16:8-11
8 I have set the Lord continually before me; Because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken. 9 Therefore my heart is glad and my glory rejoices; My flesh also will dwell securely. 10 For You will not abandon my soul to Sheol; Nor will You allow Your Holy One to undergo decay. 11 You will make known to me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; In Your right hand there are pleasures forever.
I call these walls of restoration.
These walls are barriers that kept danger and the enemy outside the walls.
The gates and doors that pierced them allowed guards to monitor and control what came in and what went out.
If the enemy breached the wall—or found a way under or over it—disaster loomed
Once God come in he want s to set up a place of safety and protection for his people.
The book of Nehemiah deals with the time when a remnant of the Jews has recently returned from captivity and exile in Babylon (c. 445BC).
One hundred and forty years earlier, Nebuchadnezzar had conquered Judah, burning its cities, destroying its walls and removing the Jews to Babylon.
Persia then conquered the Babylonians (530BC), allowing the Jews to return to their homeland.
And this is where we find our text.
the Jews in Jerusalem were still discouraged and weak.
Something was missing.
There was no sense of identity and no security against their enemies.
When Nehemiah, who was still in Babylon, heard of the miserable conditions in Jerusalem, he cried, fasted, and prayed, and God honored his prayers.
Nehemiah wanted to rebuild these walls.
He want to restore the things that were brought down by the enemy.
The word restore means.
1. To bring back into existence or use; reestablish: restore law and order.
2. To bring back to an original condition: restore a building. See Synonyms at revive.
3. To put (someone) back in a former position: restore the emperor to the throne.
4. To make restitution of; give back: restore the stolen funds.
I want to say something about God restoration.
It is better than this. God Restoration is to put something back better than before.
God wanted to restore the Jews.
As children of Abraham, by faith God wants to restore you.
He delivered them out of the hands of the Babylonian and brought them back to the place where he wanted them.
But when they came back their walls where down.
God has delivered you from the hands of the enemy. He has given you a land to possess.
He has come unto your heart.
Now he want to restore you.
He want to restore your walls.
8 He who digs a pit may fall into it, and a serpent may bite him who breaks through a wall.
The reason for many of you being hurt and bit is because There is nothing to stop the enemy.
Psalms 51:18 David Cries to God and says
18 By Your favor do good to Zion; Build the walls of Jerusalem.
Lord builds our walls. Create a hedge between me and satan.
10 “Have You not made a hedge about him and his house and all that he has, on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land.
God had placed a hedge are a barrier between Job and Satan and Satan could not touch him.
Nehemiah surveys the wall's condition by night, in secret, as he prepares his plans to restore the wall. Chapter 2:11-13
These walls are build by God through our prayer and fasting.
Reading the word and spending time with God.
And as the wall are being built by God.
God hears your prayers in the night , he sees you tears. He knows your heart
The Enemy was not happy at all
Nehemiah 4:1–3 (NASB95)
1 Now it came about that when Sanballat (San-ball-at) heard that we were rebuilding the wall, he became furious and very angry and mocked the Jews. 2 He spoke in the presence of his brothers and the wealthy men of Samaria and said, “What are these feeble Jews doing? Are they going to restore it for themselves? Can they offer sacrifices? Can they finish in a day? Can they revive the stones from the dusty rubble even the burned ones?” 3 Now Tobiah the Ammonite was near him and he said, “Even what they are building—if a fox should jump on it, he would break their stone wall down!”
Who do you think you are.
you weak..
i know your past..
the jews where laugh at, mocked and underestimated. Can they finish it in a day? can they revive the stone.
May maybe under qualified, under trained, or educated, but if God be for me....
He laughed at them and said, “if a fox should jump on it, he would break their stone wall down!”
the voice of their enemy discourage the people and Nehemiah told them in verse 14
14 When I saw their fear, I rose and spoke to the nobles, the officials and the rest of the people: “Do not be afraid of them; remember the Lord who is great and awesome, and fight for your brothers, your sons, your daughters, your wives and your houses.”
We can not be afraid to fight.
And when we are in the fight verse 17 tell us of 2 different people.
Those who were rebuilding the wall and those who carried burdens took their load with one hand doing the work and the other holding a weapon
1. Those who build the wall
2. Those who carried the burdens.
We need to do that for one another.
And God will carry our burdens.
28 “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. 29 “Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 “For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”
Nehemiah 6:9 says
9 For all of them were trying to frighten us, thinking, “They will become discouraged with the work and it will not be done.” But now, O God, strengthen my hands.
If you are feeling week and tired God can strengthen your hands.
So they finish the wall.
And God restore the people and their safety
He restored their beast.
He restored their tithes
He restored their Sabbath
He put it all back better than before.