ONE pt. 2

       We’re talking this week about a fight that is worth fighting. Do you remember the first fight you were in? Remember it? Was it out on the playground? Some big bully pushing you around and your just tired of it, but their just twice your size, and your just flailing your arms at them. Was that it? Maybe your first fight was long before that, especially if you have siblings. Unless you live in the perfect family it’s almost a requirement to fight with your siblings. All you had to do was wait till mom and dad looked the other way and then it was like let the rumble begin! I don’t know why he’s crying dad. I’ve never personally done that *cough* but we all fight. We all have a little fight in us. Even the most passive aggressive person around us has a little fight. You start messing with their child and the passive parts gone. The gloves come off, their like “OH NO YOU DIDN’T!” They’re going to attack their going to fight back. We fight over all sorts of things. So if we’re going to fight let’s make sure it’s a fight worth fighting. Let’s make sure what we’re fighting about really matters.

            Now we’re studying the book of Nehemiah and the life of Nehemiah and what we see is that Nehemiah had a fight on his hands. He had a battle. Last week when we launched this study, we realized that for Nehemiah to be everything that God called him to be; he had to step up and step out to grab hold of his destiny. He had to leave his comfort zone.  We have to do the same so that we can answer the call, and do what God wants us to do. So Nehemiah goes to the city of Jerusalem where the walls of the city have been torn down and lay in ruins. This really symbolizes peoples’ lives being in ruin and constantly being under attack from the enemy. Because the walls of the city were in ruin and the people constantly under attack the temple could not function the way it was supposed to function, enemies would constantly come in and ransack the temple. Without walls there was no place for God to dwell amongst his people. We learned last week for our own lives we have to build up the things of God in our life, the walls that need to be build up, of Gods truth and Gods ways and walking in those ways. Then we’re also to help others to follow those ways; our friends, and our families. As we do that we begin to experience the power of God in our lives like never before. You see people all around us whose lives are in destruction and despair. Their lives lay in ruin, they grew up with no knowledge of God and don’t follow his ways, or they’ve turned away from it and now you see marriages being ripped apart and lives being hurt, families being torn apart. People living so far below what God has intended for them that it just makes you sad. The good news is though we have been anointed by God and appointed, to open up spiritually blinded eyes, to set captives free, to rebuild those things in our lives and in the lives of others.

            In Nehemiah chapter 2 we see him making his way down to Jerusalem. He begins to rally the people to start building the walls. First around their own homes and then they connect to each other and so that’s how the wall begins to form around the city. Right in the beginning at the start of chapter 2 Nehemiah is met with opposition. There are people who don’t want these walls being built. See the enemies of the Israelites were constantly ransacking and taunting them. They were used to it and they were upset that these walls were being built. So they plotted an attack against the people. The people of Israel are getting scared, anxious and nervous. Our key verse is Nehemiah’s response to the people of Israel. In Nehemiah 4:14 "Don't be afraid of the enemy! Remember the Lord, who is great and glorious, and fight for your brothers, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your homes!" This is a fight worth fighting for. Here is what we can learn today from Nehemiah, as you and I step up and lay hold of the things that God has destined us to be a part of. As we step out to build up our lives and the lives of our families, and our friends. Lesson #1 EXPECT a fight. Expect a battle. Expect resistance. There is a reason why the walls have been in ruin. The enemy keeps knocking them down, and every time they tried to build the walls they would just come back and knock them down. Enemies were trying to destroy it. The same idea goes with our lives. We have a real enemy that doesn’t want us to build up those walls and building our lives up on the principle of God’s word.  He sure doesn’t want those things built up in your life but he also doesn’t want them built up in your family members lives either. So he is constantly going to come in and keep attacking us. He knows that if he can keep our hearts slightly away from God that we are no longer a threat. Whenever God wants to use you he is right there to try and stop you. Anytime you and I are going to try and step up and step out, expect a battle, expect a fight.

The second thing we learn from Nehemiah is take up your ARMOR. Nehemiah says in verses 16-18 “But from then on, only half my men worked while the other half stood guard with spears, shields, bows, and coats of mail. The leaders stationed themselves behind the people of Judah who were building the wall. The laborers carried on their work with one hand supporting their load and one hand holding a weapon. All the builders had a sword belted to their side. The trumpeter stayed with me to sound the alarm.” Now they were ready for an attack they were alert and they had their armor on and their swords at their side. Now the true is same for us. Don’t you think that since we have a real enemy out there that we should be equipped and ready for battle when he comes? Now some of you are thinking “God I know I have a real enemy…I’m here with them, or I live with them, or I work with them, my boss he’s the devil, or I go to school with this girl she’s the devil right. Everybody knows that “Goody Proctor is the devil”* Now Paul in Ephesians points out that this is not a flesh and blood battle, and many of us think it is. Our fight, our battle is super natural. Paul is the one that says “Put on the full armor of God.” No one can put it on for you. Every day you have to suit up on your own. Put on; the Belt of Truth, the Breastplate of Righteousness, the Shield of Faith, the Helmet of Salvation, and the Sword of the Spirit. Since there are strategies out there to make me fall I have to put on my armor and so do you. Which piece of that armor would you say is lying on the ground because you haven’t picked it up and put it on yet? Which piece today do you need to pick up and put on? Just think about that for a moment.

The third thing that we learn today from this story in Nehemiah is really important. I struggle with this, heck I struggled with this last night while I was typing this thing. Don’t get OFF TRACK. Don’t forget what you’re fighting for, don’t forget what really matters. Don’t give into the ways of the world. Stay focused. Look at what Nehemiah says in verses 21-23 “We worked early and late, from sunrise to sunset. And half the men were always on guard. I also told everyone living outside the walls to stay in Jerusalem. That way they and their servants could help with guard duty at night and work during the day. During this time, none of us—not I, nor my relatives, nor my servants, nor the guards who were with me—ever took off our clothes. We carried our weapons with us at all times, even when we went for water.*” I think it’s easy for us at times to have spiritual ADD. God speaks to us and we’re like yeah good idea I like it. Then by lunch time we’re like what? What was that sermon about? What did you say Lord? It’s easy to get distracted in life. We have to remember to focus though. How do we do it though? Three quick ways and then we’ll close. 1.) We have to RESIST the enemy. If we don’t resist then the devil wins. So resist build up those walls. 2.) STAND FIRM. Stand firm in the truth of God. Stand firm in what we know is true. Know that God doesn’t tempt us to sin, but he is there to help us resist. 3.) Keep FIGHTING. Everyday just keep going. Look at Nehemiah he kept fighting and in 52 days he rebuilt the walls around Jerusalem. It’s time to start rebuilding our lives. Not just our lives though; we need to rebuild our families, we need to rebuild faith in our schools, and in our community. Here is the last thing I’m going to say. When you step up and step out you are all ready destined to win, because God is on our side.

Thanks for reading. Remember there is only 1Way2Live and that's for Christ!