Bridge Church Virginia Beach

0.000000 4.140000 I want you to take out your Bibles and turn to Nehemiah chapter 2.
4.140000 8.180000 We've been talking about this subject called Imagine.
8.180000 11.060000 We've been dealing with Bible characters for the last several weeks.
11.060000 17.140000 The first one we dealt with was Joseph who had a dream that his brothers would bow down
17.140000 19.900000 to him and that dream became a reality.
19.900000 25.980000 We talked about Moses, that following week and how Moses was spoken to by God in a burning
25.980000 31.820000 bush, she had a dream to go back to Egypt and to deliver God's people from Egyptian bondage.
31.820000 36.300000 Last week we talked about Esther who was an extraordinary woman.
36.300000 43.580000 In fact the Bible says she was a beautiful and appearance and she had a bot.
43.580000 44.580000 That's what the Bible says.
44.580000 45.580000 I'm just telling you.
45.580000 53.020000 You've got to read the Bible and so we talked about Esther how she was called by God to
53.020000 58.740000 save the Jewish nation from extermination for such a time as this.
58.740000 60.780000 Today we're going to look at Nehemiah.
60.780000 63.860000 Nehemiah was an extraordinary leader.
63.860000 69.420000 Last night I had the privilege along with my wife and about 110 leaders down in Kertutt
69.420000 76.220000 North Carolina to sit through a time of strategic, of fundraising for that campus.
76.220000 82.380000 We're hoping to break ground by the end of this year on that campus and we believe God's
82.380000 83.380000 going to move.
83.380000 89.500000 But we saw some great testimonies last night but I got to talk to a man called, his name
89.500000 91.020000 was Sam.
91.020000 96.540000 Sam Powell and Sam's about 70 plus years old and he came up to me.
96.540000 99.500000 He introduced himself to me and said I'm Sam.
99.500000 104.820000 He actually said he was Frank just joking with me but he said no I'm Sam, I'm Sam Powell.
104.820000 111.420000 He said pastor you know I heard this story about Sam that his family had lived in Kertutt
111.420000 116.780000 County since the mid 1700s.
116.780000 121.380000 Sam is an entrepreneur if you ever go 168 you see that Powell produce, how many you ever
121.380000 127.020000 seen, all those signs been trying to get you to stop and buy some apples, some oranges,
127.020000 131.700000 some cucumbers, some watermelons and cantaloupes and tomatoes, amen.
131.700000 138.500000 I got hungry that's why I kept going and so I was talking to Sam Powell and heard this
138.500000 146.420000 story that at a night of worship God touched him and he made this statement, you got to understand
146.420000 152.500000 the significance of this statement that he made, his family been there since the 1700s.
152.500000 162.660000 He said pastor, bridge church is the greatest thing that's ever happened to Kertutt County.
162.660000 168.340000 That's a huge statement, not because of bridge, let me get you to understand it.
168.340000 176.580000 It's because of Jesus, Jesus, for a man that's in his 70s to be so touched by the presence
176.580000 184.220000 of God to make that statement, means that the dream of putting that campus and imagining
184.220000 190.480000 that campus in a rural county, they're right across the line over in Mojang, Kertutt County,
190.480000 197.700000 it touches Camden County, Paspetang County, Perquimins County, Dare County and man, God
197.700000 204.800000 is moving, they have over 400 and average attendance after three years, bought 16 acres of land
204.800000 211.080000 painted off debt free, gonna build almost a 17,000 square foot building on that 16 acres.
211.080000 214.540000 Come on, come on, God's good.
214.540000 219.440000 And next Sunday you're gonna see that in a video, you're gonna see it on Reveal Sunday,
219.440000 225.760000 you're gonna see what that building looks, I already had the honor of seeing that, but you're
225.760000 230.540000 gonna get to see it and we're gonna celebrate what God's doing in North Carolina because
230.540000 238.400000 it's not just about 3168 Indian River Road, it's about a church that's reaching beyond
238.400000 242.360000 even our region to the nations of the world.
242.360000 246.960000 And so we wanna look at Nehemiah, we're gonna talk about dreaming of restoration, Nehemiah
246.960000 254.320000 chapter 2, we're gonna read the first five verses of this chapter and Nehemiah is an
254.320000 256.320000 extraordinary leader.
256.320000 261.800000 If I was gonna pick to mimic my life after somebody, it would probably be Nehemiah.
261.800000 267.760000 He was very pragmatic, which means practical, he was very strategic, he understood the time
267.760000 269.800000 in which he lived in.
269.800000 276.840000 And it says this, "In the month of Nissan, in the 20th year of King Arduzartese, Nissan is
276.840000 282.160000 the month in the Hebrew calendar, which would be our calendar, the Gregorian calendar,
282.160000 285.480000 it would be March through some probably half of April."
285.480000 290.880000 So it was in the spring time of year when Nehemiah is telling this and how he approaches
290.880000 292.280000 the King.
292.280000 296.480000 When wine was brought for him, I took wine and gave it to the King.
296.480000 302.000000 I had not been sad in his presence before, so the King asked me, "Why does your face look
302.000000 304.080000 so sad when you're not ill?"
304.080000 306.760000 Have you ever been in any round, anybody like that?
306.760000 309.120000 Why are you so ill?
309.120000 315.640000 I used to say that to my kids, "Why are you so ill when you've got everything?"
315.640000 316.640000 Amen.
316.640000 321.760000 Follow me to Guatemala and see some kids that have nothing but their smiling.
321.760000 325.640000 Says, "Why does your face look so sad when you're not ill?"
325.640000 329.120000 This can be nothing but sadness of heart.
329.120000 334.880000 I was very much afraid, but I said to the King, "May the King live forever.
334.880000 343.640000 Why should my face not look sad when the city where my ancestors are buried lies in ruins?"
343.640000 346.600000 And its gates have been destroyed by fire.
346.600000 352.920000 The King said to me, "What is it you want?"
352.920000 357.880000 Then I prayed to God of heaven and I answered the King, "If it pleases the King and if your
357.880000 364.760000 servant has found favor in his sight, let him send me to the city in Judah where my ancestors
364.760000 367.840000 are buried so that I can rebuild it."
367.840000 374.840000 He's talking about the city of Jerusalem, the city of Jerusalem.
374.840000 377.960000 See, Nehemiah had a vision.
377.960000 381.800000 It was given to him by God.
381.800000 387.320000 It was a blessing that would bless the people of Jerusalem.
387.320000 395.760000 At this time in the history of Jerusalem, they had just come out of captivity in Babylon.
395.760000 400.400000 This is what we would consider a post-exilic book.
400.400000 403.160000 It's a post-capitivity book.
403.160000 406.440000 Nehemiah is writing after the fact.
406.440000 410.960000 If you really want to understand the book of Nehemiah, read First Chronicle, Second Chronicles
410.960000 418.400000 Ezra and Nehemiah as one continuous story and it gives you greater detail of the background
418.400000 421.360000 of what Nehemiah is talking about.
421.360000 427.080000 It's some 900 miles from Medo-Persia Babylon to Jerusalem.
427.080000 431.840000 There were three migrations that came out of Babylon back to Jerusalem.
431.840000 436.600000 The Jewish people took three migrations from Medo-Persia back to Jerusalem.
436.600000 441.000000 The first one was under the governor, Zerubbable.
441.000000 446.500000 Zerubbable we see in the book of Zakariah, where it says in Zakariah 4, verse 6, "It's not
446.500000 451.360000 by might nor by power, but it's by my spirit," says the Lord.
451.360000 457.120000 Within the context of that, Zerubbable was going to rebuild the temple in Jerusalem so
457.120000 460.440000 temple worship could be restarted.
460.440000 462.840000 Why did they want to build the temple first?
462.840000 468.000000 If you build the temple first and if you put God first and you worship God first, everything
468.000000 471.320000 in your life will come into order.
471.320000 477.320000 That's why Jesus said in Matthew 6.33, "First the kingdom of God and His righteousness and
477.320000 480.040000 all these things will be added to your life."
480.040000 482.320000 And so they began to put God first.
482.320000 488.440000 The second migration happened under Ezra and the third migration back to Jerusalem happened
488.440000 492.440000 under Nehemiah.
492.440000 498.040000 Most historians believe some 50,000 plus Jews came back to Jerusalem from Babylon.
498.040000 503.080000 And so when you look at the book of Nehemiah, you began to understand that chapters 1 through
503.080000 506.280000 7 is the rebuilding of the broken down walls.
506.280000 511.240000 It's the rebuilding of the city gates of Jerusalem.
511.240000 515.000000 And in our country, we have this debate going on right now.
515.000000 517.560000 Should we have a border wall or should we have a border wall?
517.560000 519.440000 Should the border be secured?
519.440000 520.440000 Not be secure?
520.440000 526.280000 Well, in biblical times and in history, if you didn't have a wall around the city, you were
526.280000 528.480000 open to attacks.
528.480000 533.440000 So God's not against building borders.
533.440000 536.880000 The role of the government is to protect its people.
536.880000 542.960000 The role of the church is to love all people.
542.960000 545.080000 Don't confuse the two.
545.080000 549.160000 I don't vote somebody in the office to be my pastor.
549.160000 551.240000 He has a job.
551.240000 553.040000 And government has a job.
553.040000 554.360000 That's not a political statement.
554.360000 556.520000 That's just fact.
556.520000 560.400000 And I'm called to pray for anyone who is in office.
560.400000 561.400000 Come on.
561.400000 566.480000 Paul says pray for all those that are in authority over us.
566.480000 569.400000 So the government's job is to protect its people.
569.400000 570.400000 It's to protect its people.
570.400000 575.120000 The church's job when strangers and aliens come into our midst, guess what we do?
575.120000 576.840000 We love them.
576.840000 578.080000 We nurture them.
578.080000 584.480000 No matter their background, bridge church has multiple, multiple ethnicities in it.
584.480000 590.120000 It has people from all over the world, just met a guy in our first service from South Africa.
590.120000 592.960000 He had a great accent.
592.960000 593.960000 Great.
593.960000 594.960000 I want one of them.
594.960000 601.000000 And I would probably play James Bond or something.
601.000000 605.040000 My wife asked me to marry her.
605.040000 607.040000 She thought I was James Bond.
607.040000 608.040000 Hey, man.
608.040000 610.120000 I just couldn't know it.
610.120000 611.120000 She didn't ask me.
611.120000 612.120000 I asked her.
612.120000 614.760000 You know, that's a trend going around now that ladies are asking men.
614.760000 615.760000 Don't do that.
615.760000 616.760000 Don't do that.
616.760000 617.760000 Don't do that.
617.760000 621.720000 If he don't have the guts to ask.
621.720000 634.460000 I love you, but I love you from a distance.
634.460000 645.600000 If he tries to get engaged without a ring, I told my girls that that guy asked you to marry.
645.600000 650.040000 He bought a cum with some jewelry.
650.040000 662.200000 And I don't want to have to take out a magnifying glass to see it.
662.200000 668.340000 Everyone, I've got nice rings.
668.340000 670.120000 It's the proof.
670.120000 672.840000 It's the proof, amen?
672.840000 674.880000 Sometimes it's the proof.
674.880000 677.600000 When they see their mama's ring, they're like, "Ooh, I got it.
677.600000 678.600000 Come up."
678.600000 686.920000 Every boy that goes to my house, I show him my wife's ring.
686.920000 687.920000 It hasn't...
687.920000 688.920000 Yeah.
688.920000 689.920000 It's going good.
689.920000 690.920000 Got some great...
690.920000 694.760000 I got a great son-in-law, got a great future son-in-law that will be married to my daughter
694.760000 695.760000 this Friday.
695.760000 696.760000 Amen.
696.760000 697.760000 Come on.
697.760000 699.760000 Celebrate with me.
699.760000 701.760000 Another one off the payroll.
701.760000 702.760000 Hallelujah.
702.760000 703.760000 Hallelujah.
703.760000 704.760000 Hallelujah.
704.760000 705.760000 Hallelujah.
705.760000 706.760000 Hallelujah.
706.760000 707.760000 Hallelujah.
707.760000 713.840000 Yes, they get married and we don't let them come back.
713.840000 719.160000 That's funny.
719.160000 720.280000 So one through seven is...
720.280000 721.360000 I don't know how I got on that.
721.360000 725.840000 One through seven is the rebuilding of the temple.
725.840000 730.720000 Eight through ten is the revival in the people.
730.720000 738.560000 And 11 through 13 is the resettling of positions in the nation of Israel.
738.560000 743.400000 And Nehemiah would be in charge of all of what was going on.
743.400000 749.120000 God had appointed him for such a time as this.
749.120000 754.480000 King Art of Zerksees in this book in Nehemiah, he is the son of King Zerksees and the book
754.480000 755.760000 of Esther.
755.760000 762.720000 So he is...look here, he is the stepson of Esther.
762.720000 768.920000 God's still using these kings for his purpose.
768.920000 774.160000 And so when we look at the book of Nehemiah, we begin to realize that this is a very pragmatic
774.160000 778.040000 guy, but though he's pragmatic, he's very spiritual.
778.040000 780.480000 How many, you know, you can be both at one time.
780.480000 786.960000 You can be practical and spiritual at the same time.
786.960000 794.480000 Now if I got to choose between the two when I have an airplane pilot, I don't care if he
794.480000 797.920000 understands the gifts of the spirit or not.
797.920000 802.520000 As long as he can fly that plane and get me where I need to be, I want to be very practical
802.520000 803.520000 and strategic.
803.520000 807.320000 I want him to be smart, amen?
807.320000 811.800000 Because he can be spiritual and still be dumb about flying a plane.
811.800000 812.800000 I don't want that.
812.800000 816.280000 I want him to be very practical and understand what he's doing.
816.280000 817.560000 And so Nehemiah was that man.
817.560000 821.880000 But when you look at the book of Nehemiah, there are three lessons I want to look at that
821.880000 825.400000 we can learn from Nehemiah's life.
825.400000 832.240000 Number one, you will never move until your heart's moved.
832.240000 843.520000 In life, by and for, you will never move until your heart moves.
843.520000 850.420000 When we look at chapter one of Nehemiah, we begin to see something in that book that really
850.420000 854.040000 tells you the heart of Nehemiah.
854.040000 856.920000 Nehemiah is approached by brothers from Jerusalem.
856.920000 863.680000 They bring him the state of a union address for Jerusalem and they tell him the city is
863.680000 868.800000 lying in ruins, its gates have been burned, the walls are broken down.
868.800000 878.160000 And the Bible says that Nehemiah began to weep, his heart was moved.
878.160000 886.360000 In fact when you look at this, you can see that Nehemiah sat down and he wept.
886.360000 892.880000 Look what it says in verse 4 of chapter one, "When I heard these things I sat down and wept
892.880000 899.920000 for some days I mourned, I fasted and prayed before the God of heaven."
899.920000 905.680000 So he was touched by what was going on in Jerusalem.
905.680000 907.600000 But here's the deal folks.
907.600000 913.960000 At this moment in Nehemiah's life, he had never been to Jerusalem.
913.960000 923.240000 He's weeping over a report that he gets from his brothers that the city is in ruin.
923.240000 927.920000 He had never been there, he had never seen the city.
927.920000 935.640000 He's 900 miles away but yet something grips his heart.
935.640000 938.120000 Something compels him to weep.
938.120000 944.200000 And I ask you this, when's the last time you were moved to tears over a situation in somebody
944.200000 947.240000 else's house?
947.240000 952.600000 It's easy for us to cry over the situations in our own homes, the situation in our own
952.600000 955.720000 children, the situation in our own nation.
955.720000 961.480000 But when have we been moved to tears over the situations and the blight of the inner city
961.480000 966.840000 in America, where people feel trapped, where homes are dilapidated, when have we been
966.840000 970.080000 moved to tears over the needs of our neighbors?
970.080000 978.120000 Nehemiah though, he was a practical man, he was the cup bear to the king, he wept.
978.120000 981.920000 He was a man's man.
981.920000 988.040000 So oftentimes we think of masculinity as not weeping.
988.040000 992.800000 One of the prophets was called the weeping prophet.
992.800000 996.800000 Just because you're masculine, just because you're a man, doesn't mean you can't weep
996.800000 1000.680000 over need.
1000.680000 1012.560000 He he wept, he he was moved by the sheer problems of Jerusalem.
1012.560000 1017.160000 We live in a world that seems like it man, it's spiraling out of control, even in parts of
1017.160000 1024.280000 our nation where people just feel trapped, they feel trapped in dead zones, they feel trapped
1024.280000 1031.040000 in inner cities, they feel trapped in schools that are getting no better.
1031.040000 1038.920000 And politicians promise better but it seems like it doesn't get better because most politicians
1038.920000 1045.360000 don't want it to get better because it gets any better, they have nothing to run on.
1045.360000 1050.880000 Did you know most of our problems in our nation can be solved overnight if people would be practical
1050.880000 1059.160000 and not political?
1059.160000 1064.400000 Schools could come up higher, kids could learn.
1064.400000 1065.240000 How would we do that?
1065.240000 1067.880000 We would start with parenting.
1067.880000 1075.320000 Come on, if you can't control your kids, how is a teacher going to control your kids?
1075.320000 1077.760000 Don't stone the messenger.
1077.760000 1084.400000 I remember this when I would get in trouble at school, I got in trouble when I got home.
1084.400000 1087.720000 If I got a paddling at school, that's when they could paddle you back in the South, they
1087.720000 1093.360000 could tear your rear end up, bend over and the teacher had a paddle and he would drill holes
1093.360000 1097.840000 in it, bend over, back.
1097.840000 1098.840000 How many of them?
1098.840000 1100.480000 That got my attention.
1100.480000 1104.640000 I'm not advocating for that now because I think people are too weird.
1104.640000 1105.640000 You know what I'm saying?
1105.640000 1106.640000 That's not what I'm advocating.
1106.640000 1109.320000 You've got to say, "I'll pass your things, we need to have a paddling back."
1109.320000 1111.240000 No, no, that's not what I'm saying.
1111.240000 1121.080000 But what I am saying, we need to once again teach our kids respect for authority.
1121.080000 1124.760000 Parents don't always take the side of your child.
1124.760000 1127.640000 I remember I had to go to school for some of my kids.
1127.640000 1130.100000 My son one time got in trouble.
1130.100000 1134.880000 He was Mr. Talkalot.
1134.880000 1139.080000 I show up at school, got two-three teachers.
1139.080000 1142.120000 He's round the front row.
1142.120000 1144.560000 He's old now getting ready to have a boy.
1144.560000 1148.520000 Hey man, his wife is getting ready to have a boy.
1148.520000 1151.920000 He's along for the ride.
1151.920000 1156.600000 And I had a principal there I think, had a couple teachers and they were talking, man, they
1156.600000 1159.360000 were saying, "Man, he's a great kid.
1159.360000 1168.960000 He's got people love him, he's a people person, he's an athlete, but he just won't be quiet."
1168.960000 1173.360000 I looked at him, I said, "Son, do you see these teachers in this principal?"
1173.360000 1177.160000 When they ask you to do something, do it.
1177.160000 1180.440000 If they tell you to be quiet, you be quiet.
1180.440000 1181.800000 They tell you to do work.
1181.800000 1182.800000 You do work.
1182.800000 1189.280000 And when I began to talk to my son like that in front of them, they'd be like, "Yeah,
1189.280000 1191.920000 they got bold about that.
1191.920000 1193.420000 Why?"
1193.420000 1199.960000 Because I was backing their authority and not over riding their authority.
1199.960000 1201.660000 Now I'm not saying all teachers are right.
1201.660000 1202.660000 That's not what I'm saying.
1202.660000 1211.960000 If a teacher acts stupid, that needs to be confronted, but I'm talking about by and large,
1211.960000 1218.400000 we need to get our kids to understand authority and to submit to authority.
1218.400000 1223.560000 If not, you're preparing them for prison.
1223.560000 1230.440000 And if you won't discipline them, the justice system will.
1230.440000 1230.940000 Will.
1230.940000 1239.880000 I don't know how I got on that, but the Lord knows we needed it.
1239.880000 1240.880000 I'm convinced.
1240.880000 1245.720000 You all needed that, not the first service, because I didn't say it in the first serve.
1245.720000 1253.800000 So he said, "I'm going to start coming to the first service.
1253.800000 1256.000000 We need you to look how crowded it is in here.
1256.000000 1258.040000 We need you to come to the first."
1258.040000 1259.040000 Amen.
1259.040000 1261.720000 And so he was moved with compassion.
1261.720000 1266.400000 I like that movie, "The Pursuit of Happiness," Will Smith plays this guy named Chris and
1266.400000 1267.720000 Chris, man.
1267.720000 1269.640000 He's just struggling to make it, man.
1269.640000 1272.040000 He's trying to make a better life for his son.
1272.040000 1273.400000 He's pushing through.
1273.400000 1274.600000 He's living on the streets.
1274.600000 1280.080000 He finally gets an unpaid position at Dean Witter, and he learns finance.
1280.080000 1285.960000 He learns about the stock market and being a broker, and eventually he gets a breakthrough
1285.960000 1289.560000 and becomes very successful.
1289.560000 1294.880000 And you see all throughout that movie, he's moved with compassion, and his compassion causes
1294.880000 1303.240000 him to persevere through hardship until he becomes a success.
1303.240000 1308.920000 And the Bible says that Jesus was moved with compassion.
1308.920000 1315.120000 Matthew 9.36, "When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them because they were harassed
1315.120000 1320.200000 and helpless like sheep without a shepherd."
1320.200000 1321.200000 Compassion.
1321.200000 1322.200000 He was moved.
1322.200000 1327.040000 That word, compassion, it means to be moved from the inside of your bowels.
1327.040000 1329.920000 He was moved internally deep.
1329.920000 1333.960000 He was moved to the point that he felt the needs of others.
1333.960000 1339.440000 You know, compassion has three components, first of all, it's empathy, that I can empathize
1339.440000 1340.440000 with other people.
1340.440000 1346.080000 I can feel their feelings, I can feel their hardship, I can feel their suffering.
1346.080000 1347.280000 Number two, it's action.
1347.280000 1351.880000 I just don't feel it, but I move to action.
1351.880000 1355.520000 Jesus just didn't feel the pain of the people around him.
1355.520000 1357.320000 He was moved to action.
1357.320000 1363.080000 And he and I just didn't feel the pain of Jerusalem, he was moved to action.
1363.080000 1364.920000 Number three is love.
1364.920000 1375.000000 Intertwined in empathy, and action is this twine of love that's interwoven between those
1375.000000 1376.920000 two concepts.
1376.920000 1378.160000 And that's what compassion is.
1378.160000 1386.400000 That I don't not only feel it, but I am moved toward it because of love.
1386.400000 1390.840000 And so Nehemiah, he sits down and he weeps.
1390.840000 1396.840000 He kneels down and he prays, but he stands up and he works.
1396.840000 1402.080000 When you feel it and you weep and then you pray, there comes a time, you got to stand up
1402.080000 1404.560000 and move toward action.
1404.560000 1407.640000 That's what compassion is.
1407.640000 1412.080000 It says, "When I heard these things, I sat down and wept for some days, I mourned and
1412.080000 1417.360000 fast and prayed before the God of heaven and then he was moved to action that moved him toward
1417.360000 1418.360000 the king."
1418.360000 1423.320000 It says, "So the king asked me, why does your face look so sad when you are not ill?
1423.320000 1426.680000 This can be nothing but sadness of heart."
1426.680000 1430.280000 He felt it in his heart.
1430.280000 1431.760000 He felt it in his heart.
1431.760000 1437.320000 Number two, movements start with movement.
1437.320000 1438.320000 That is simple.
1438.320000 1440.680000 This is not deep today.
1440.680000 1444.440000 This starts with movement.
1444.440000 1447.960000 Bridge church started with movement.
1447.960000 1454.560000 My wife and I answer in the call to come to Virginia Beach to step out in 1998 to move
1454.560000 1459.080000 here from Augusta, Georgia with no kids.
1459.080000 1460.080000 We were poor.
1460.080000 1462.240000 No, we were poor.
1462.240000 1463.240000 You know what, "po" is?
1463.240000 1466.280000 It's one level lower than poor.
1466.280000 1467.680000 We were poor.
1467.680000 1473.200000 We moved to Virginia Beach because if God ever touches your heart, there has to be corresponding
1473.200000 1477.640000 action because faithful without words is dead.
1477.640000 1479.400000 Nehemiah was moved to weeping.
1479.400000 1480.920000 He was moved to prayer.
1480.920000 1485.040000 Then he got up and acted because movements begin with movement.
1485.040000 1486.600000 There has to be some movement.
1486.600000 1489.760000 And for somebody that says, "Hey, that's a movement.
1489.760000 1491.000000 There's somebody who is moving.
1491.000000 1492.300000 We moved here.
1492.300000 1494.600000 God began to move other people."
1494.600000 1496.640000 Look what it says.
1496.640000 1503.160000 "The king said to me, 'What is it you want?'
1503.160000 1506.120000 Then I prayed to the God of heaven and I answered the king.
1506.120000 1512.000000 If it pleases the king and if your servant has found favor in his sight, let him send me
1512.000000 1520.160000 to the city in Judah where my ancestors are buried so I can rebuild it."
1520.160000 1522.760000 You gotta understand, this is the chief of staff.
1522.760000 1525.680000 He's asking the king, "Can I go to Jerusalem?"
1525.680000 1532.280000 He's gonna leave the glamour of the palace, the comfort of the palace to go to a place
1532.280000 1535.880000 that's dilapidated.
1535.880000 1539.200000 And that one man moving made a difference.
1539.200000 1542.920000 It's like Mother Teresa in Calcutta, India.
1542.920000 1545.920000 Her life made a difference.
1545.920000 1555.000000 Her move toward children that were in need and filth and grime.
1555.000000 1561.420000 And in the dumps of Calcutta, she moved toward that disease and not away from it and that
1561.420000 1568.320000 compassion caused her to be empathetic, to take action because she loved those children.
1568.320000 1574.880000 And we write about Mother Teresa today and in 1979, she won the Nobel Peace Prize.
1574.880000 1580.840000 And in her speech, she said this, "We can do no great things, only small things with great
1580.840000 1583.600000 love."
1583.600000 1589.040000 She was moved, Nehemiah was moved.
1589.040000 1593.320000 And look what he said to the king, "Send me."
1593.320000 1594.320000 I don't know.
1594.320000 1599.640000 Sometimes we get so comfortable, we can't say God, "Send me."
1599.640000 1603.120000 See, because oftentimes we think the mission field is in Guatemala.
1603.120000 1605.520000 We think the mission field is in Tanzania.
1605.520000 1608.520000 We think the mission field is in some foreign nation.
1608.520000 1613.120000 Sometimes the mission field is right across the street from your house.
1613.120000 1614.120000 "Send me."
1614.120000 1617.440000 There's a need there.
1617.440000 1618.440000 "Send me Lord."
1618.440000 1622.460000 Just like Isaiah said in Isaiah 6, he says, "Here am I, Lord.
1622.460000 1625.840000 Send me."
1625.840000 1628.600000 Sometimes we say, "Lord, send them."
1628.600000 1630.360000 When we need to say, "Lord, send me."
1630.360000 1631.360000 There's a need here.
1631.360000 1632.520000 There's a situation here.
1632.520000 1635.800000 There's a young family that has a need and sometimes it's just mentoring.
1635.800000 1639.320000 I mean, there are young men that need to be mentored.
1639.320000 1645.000000 Man, if you raised your kids and you did a great job at it and you've learned some things,
1645.000000 1648.160000 what about sharing that knowledge with somebody else?
1648.160000 1652.240000 I watch my wife do it all the time with young moms and young girls.
1652.240000 1653.800000 She'll share knowledge.
1653.800000 1656.640000 She doesn't keep that wide because that's a part of generosity.
1656.640000 1661.080000 Oftentimes we think generosity is just giving money.
1661.080000 1665.120000 Generosity is giving your time, giving your influence, giving what you know to somebody
1665.120000 1666.120000 else.
1666.120000 1669.000000 This man, mentor somebody else and give it away.
1669.000000 1676.440000 Here am I, send me Lord, I am going to give it away.
1676.440000 1680.960000 See, movements begin with movement.
1680.960000 1690.280000 He had to leave the palace, 900 miles to Jerusalem and the king said, "Yes, the king gave
1690.280000 1691.280000 him access."
1691.280000 1696.840000 I mean, you know, our King Jesus has given us access and we need to move.
1696.840000 1704.320000 Lesson number three, here it is, others move when I obediently move with God.
1704.320000 1708.960000 Others move when I obediently move with God.
1708.960000 1715.600000 When tangent, I left a great paying job in Augusta, Georgia, moved here with no assurance
1715.600000 1716.600000 of pay.
1716.600000 1720.680000 And just said, "We're going to start this thing."
1720.680000 1728.840000 And we began to move and obedience other people began to move.
1728.840000 1733.280000 When we got here, we began to talk about what we were doing.
1733.280000 1738.500000 People started gathering in a home at 1707 Biven Street near Regent University, started
1738.500000 1739.800000 out with 16 people.
1739.800000 1743.880000 My dad passed away, my grandmother passed away within 10 days of each other, I had to preach
1743.880000 1749.640000 their funerals and it grew down to six or seven.
1749.640000 1752.360000 That's negative church growth.
1752.360000 1758.080000 We got back and we knew God had called us here and we kept meeting that thing began to grow.
1758.080000 1766.000000 And in 11 weeks, we had 65 people in a house, in a small house.
1766.000000 1769.240000 We were crazy.
1769.240000 1776.360000 But that move of obedience made other people move toward a vision.
1776.360000 1786.260000 And by that Easter of 1919, 130 people met, 13 weeks after we moved here, 130 people on
1786.260000 1787.640000 a Sunday morning.
1787.640000 1788.640000 Why?
1788.640000 1791.600000 Because when you move in obedience, other people move.
1791.600000 1796.940000 God begins to move people toward the vision that God placed in your heart.
1796.940000 1801.840000 And now there are thousands of people that call bridge church, their home church, and
1801.840000 1804.560000 their meeting in multiple locations why?
1804.560000 1810.560000 Because when you step out and fade, God causes movement, God causes action and other people.
1810.560000 1817.120000 It just takes one person, Nehemiah, was willing to step out and move.
1817.120000 1818.560000 And obedience, so what it says.
1818.560000 1824.720000 Then I said to them, he's talking to the people that are in trouble in Jerusalem.
1824.720000 1827.360000 You see the trouble we're in.
1827.360000 1834.960000 I mean, the job of any great leader is to define reality.
1834.960000 1837.760000 You need to write that down if you're a leader, if you own a business.
1837.760000 1843.640000 And you talk to employees, one of your main jobs is to define reality.
1843.640000 1849.560000 When we have staff meetings here, and I have to be very bold, sometimes very blunt, guess
1849.560000 1850.560000 what I have to do?
1850.560000 1851.800000 I have to define reality.
1851.800000 1853.440000 Where are we at?
1853.440000 1857.880000 You see the trouble we're in, he defines reality for the people in Jerusalem.
1857.880000 1859.800000 Jerusalem lies and ruins.
1859.800000 1861.960000 And his gates have been burned with fire.
1861.960000 1865.320000 Come, let us rebuild the walls of Jerusalem, the wall of Jerusalem.
1865.320000 1867.920000 And we will no longer be in disgrace.
1867.920000 1872.320000 That word disgrace means to take on shame.
1872.320000 1877.600000 It means to be a person of reproach, a city of shame, a city of reproach.
1877.600000 1881.360000 He says, if we'll do this, we'll no longer be in disgrace.
1881.360000 1886.600000 The same time you disconnect your life from God's grace, you become a person of reproach,
1886.600000 1888.280000 you become a person of shame.
1888.280000 1893.080000 I mean, grace doesn't put shame on you, grace takes shame off of you.
1893.080000 1898.400000 Because the church sometimes wants to say shame on you, but Jesus says shame off you.
1898.400000 1901.280000 Because his grace has appeared to all mankind.
1901.280000 1903.080000 He says, will no longer be in disgrace.
1903.080000 1908.080000 I also told him about the gracious hand of my God on me, and what the king has said to
1908.080000 1909.080000 me.
1909.080000 1911.320000 They replied, look what they replied.
1911.320000 1914.960000 They replied, let us start rebuilding.
1914.960000 1925.760000 So they began this great work, neomile, called by God.
1925.760000 1929.320000 He tells these people, let's build.
1929.320000 1931.840000 And they began this great work.
1931.840000 1939.880000 How many, you know, every great work has an adversary, has an enemy.
1939.880000 1947.680000 They had enemies, sand ballot, Tobiah and Gershim.
1947.680000 1954.200000 They tried to stop the progress of neomile and the people rebuilding the walls and saving
1954.200000 1957.000000 the city gates in order.
1957.000000 1962.960000 But the Bible says they had a sword in one hand and a trial in the other.
1962.960000 1967.880000 They kept building while at the same time fighting their enemies.
1967.880000 1972.120000 If you're going to build a great marriage, if you're going to build a great family, if
1972.120000 1976.920000 you're going to build a great church or a great business, whatever you build today, you
1976.920000 1978.320000 got to understand.
1978.320000 1982.240000 You can build with one hand, but you're going to have to fight with the other hand.
1982.240000 1984.760000 Come on, building a great marriage is not easy.
1984.760000 1988.960000 You have to work at it.
1988.960000 1992.680000 I got a few eight men's.
1992.680000 1996.640000 If you want a great family, you're going to have to work at it.
1996.640000 1997.640000 You're going to have to have the sword.
1997.640000 1998.640000 What is the sword?
1998.640000 2002.080000 It's the word of God, according to Ephesians 6.
2002.080000 2005.880000 You put on the helmet of salvation, the breastplate of righteousness, the shield of faith, the
2005.880000 2007.800000 sword of the spirit, the belt of truth.
2007.800000 2010.480000 We shot our feet with a preparation of the gospel of peace.
2010.480000 2014.680000 We put on the helmet of salvation, so we fight this good fight.
2014.680000 2020.160000 I want you to stand.
2020.160000 2023.760000 Moses was moved by God out of a burning bush.
2023.760000 2031.380000 When Joseph was moved by God in a dream, Esther was moved by the voice of Mordecai to step
2031.380000 2035.400000 out and approach the king.
2035.400000 2041.560000 Nehemiah was moved by the need of Jerusalem.
2041.560000 2047.760000 Moved to tears, moved to prayer, moved to action.
2047.760000 2051.720000 What's your move today?
2051.720000 2060.360000 Do you need to move toward Jesus to receive salvation today?
2060.360000 2065.560000 Do you need to move in the area of baptism and follow Jesus into the water of baptism?
2065.560000 2069.960000 Do you need to move toward starting point and getting connected to a life-giving church
2069.960000 2076.200000 and not just coming and attending but being connected in a real way?
2076.200000 2084.400000 Do you need to move toward being connected into a small group that helps disciple and mentor
2084.400000 2088.140000 and train?
2088.140000 2089.640000 Where do you need to move to?
2089.640000 2094.160000 Maybe you need to move across the street and just let your neighbor know something about
2094.160000 2095.160000 Jesus.
2095.160000 2101.760000 I don't know what your next move is, but I believe all of us need to bust a move in here today.
2101.760000 2106.000000 Not in the secular way, but in the spiritual way, amen.
2106.000000 2107.000000 You need to bust a move.
2107.000000 2108.240000 You need to move.
2108.240000 2111.160000 Men, you need to move.
2111.160000 2118.400000 Just your life moving toward Christ will impact your wife and your kids for generations,
2118.400000 2125.600000 for generations, moms moving toward respecting that husband.
2125.600000 2127.000000 You say, "Well, he doesn't deserve respect."
2127.000000 2130.000000 Well, the Bible doesn't say respect him if he deserves respect.
2130.000000 2135.760000 It says, "Just respect him."
2135.760000 2143.720000 "Love your wives as Christ loved the church and gave his life for her."
2143.720000 2154.640000 If you want to be married, man, it comes with a death certificate.
2154.640000 2160.560000 If you want to be single, don't get married.
2160.560000 2167.400000 Every folks don't need to be acting like single folks.
2167.400000 2169.680000 You married, you married, amen.
2169.680000 2172.040000 Come on, somebody.
2172.040000 2177.480000 We don't have secret bank accounts, we don't keep extra $500 in our wall that our spouse
2177.480000 2178.720000 doesn't know about.
2178.720000 2180.520000 We want secret accounts.
2180.520000 2182.520000 Get front accounts.
2182.520000 2183.520000 Now we're married.
2183.520000 2184.520000 Let the two become one.
2184.520000 2186.520000 That's hard.
2186.520000 2188.600000 But it's scripture, amen.
2188.600000 2190.520000 Very scripture.
2190.520000 2193.080000 Whatever that move is, you need to go toward that, amen.
2193.080000 2194.080000 Let's power his.
2194.080000 2195.600000 Well, I just thank you.
2195.600000 2198.640000 God, the power of your word is real.
2198.640000 2202.520000 Thank you for every man, woman, boy and girl in this place today.
2202.520000 2203.960000 Pretty great grace over them.
2203.960000 2206.080000 For those that are joining us on line, great grace.