I Won't Come Down
Rev. Dr. Omar Williams Preached on 5/24/2026Nehemiah 6:3
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60:18
Summary
Rev. Dr. Omar Williams uses the story of Nehemiah to exhort believers to remain steadfast in their divine calling, refusing to be lured away by internal selfishness or external intimidation.
Key points
- •Distractions are often rooted in sin and are designed to pull believers away from their divine purpose and the work of the Kingdom.
- •Internal conflict, specifically selfishness and the exploitation of others, can halt God's work more effectively than external opposition.
- •Effective leadership requires the discernment to know when to confront issues (internal) and when to ignore the noise (external).
- •Persistence in the face of relentless opposition is key; Nehemiah's refusal to 'come down' led to the completion of the wall in just 52 days.
- •True spiritual victory comes from a healthy fear of God and a commitment to communal love and restoration.
Scripture
Purpose
Holiness
Perseverance
Repentance
Life application
Identify one 'barking dog' distraction in your life this week - whether it is an internal struggle like pride or an external pressure like gossip - and consciously choose to stay focused on your God-given tasks, telling yourself, 'I am doing a great work and I won't come down.'
Reflection questions
- What is the 'sin factor' at the core of the distractions currently hindering your spiritual progress?
- Nehemiah got angry at the oppression of the poor; what holy frustrations is the Spirit stirring in you to move you toward justice or restoration?
- Are you spending too much energy defending your reputation against 'rumors' instead of finishing the work God assigned to you?
- How can you cultivate a deeper 'fear of God' that outweighs the fear of man or the desire for personal profit?
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Full transcript
0:00You may not know it.
0:00>> Oh, you may not know how. You may not
0:00know it, but he'll do it again.
0:08>> Hallelujah.
0:10Hallelujah.
0:12Hallelujah.
0:13>> Hallelujah.
0:14>> Thank you Jesus.
0:29We may not know how.
0:33We may not know when. But here's what we
0:36do know for sure. God,
0:39he will do it again.
0:42In fact, he keeps on doing it every day
0:45in our lives. How many have some
0:47testimony that God continues to show up
0:51and to show out in your life? We may not
0:53know how.
0:56We don't have to know how. We may not
0:58know when. But what we do know is that
1:00God will do it again. And indeed he
1:04continues to do it again and again.
1:07Let's bow our heads together in prayer.
1:09Father, we thank you for your presence
1:13in this place. Your your Holy Spirit is
1:17working all across this building, the
1:19sanctuary, touching hearts, reckoning
1:23with individuals.
1:26Though you meet us collectively, but you
1:29are reckoning with everybody
1:31individually right now. We pray that
1:34your work will convict hearts and souls
1:36and minds and bring someone to saying
1:39yes in repentance and surrender to the
1:43Lord our God who to know is life
1:46everlasting. Thank you now for preaching
1:49power to preach your word to your
1:50people. Thank you for clarity and for
1:53concision of speech, conviction of heart
1:55in the name of Jesus. Let it be so now
1:58in Jesus's name. And everybody say,
2:00"Amen."
2:02>> Go with me in your Bibles to Nehemiah
2:04chapter 6. Nehemiah chapter 6. And I
2:07want to call your attention to verse
2:09three.
2:11Nehemiah chapter 6. And I call your
2:14attention to verse three.
2:19Amen.
2:21Nehemiah chapter 6, call your attention
2:23to verse three. And it reads like this.
2:27So I sent messengers to them saying, I
2:31am doing a great work. Thank you, media.
2:34So that I cannot come down. Why should
2:38the work cease while I leave it and go
2:41down to you? Amen. God bless you. You
2:45may be seated in the presence of our
2:47good and our gracious God. Such a
2:49pleasure to be in the house of God
2:51another Sunday. How many are glad to be
2:53in God's house today?
2:55>> Amen. Amen. I didn't come for the
2:58Pentecost Sunday experience. I came here
3:01because of I have received the Pentecost
3:04Sunday experience, a Pentecost
3:05experience. I'm full of the Holy Ghost
3:09and I know that God's spirit and God's
3:12power that they are in this place today.
3:15Why don't you look at your neighbor say
3:16neighbor, it's so good to see you in the
3:17house.
3:19Amen. Yeah. You look good. You smell
3:21good. And I'm glad I'm sitting beside
3:23you.
3:25>> Amen.
3:27>> Amen. Such a pleasure. Thank you for
3:29those uh last Sunday I came in for the
3:33second service. Thank you for those who
3:36uh took the time out to pray for me and
3:39my uh my family as we had announced
3:41sometime in March that I lost two aunts,
3:45one in New York. And it's it's amazing
3:48how differently places function. The one
3:50in New York, two weeks after she passed,
3:52we were having her funeral. The one that
3:54passed in Jamaica, it took a whole two
3:57months. So the the funeral service was
4:00last week. Uh so thank you so much for
4:03your prayers. The Lord strengthened. It
4:04seems now that I am the the preacher for
4:08family funerals, but thank God for your
4:11prayers. I really did feel the strength
4:13of the Lord uh to preach his word there.
4:17uh Nehemiah chapter Nehemiah chapter
4:22chapters five and six is where we are
4:25today. And I know this is not the
4:26classical Pentecost Sunday message, but
4:29here's the deal. We've got Pentecost
4:30every day.
4:34>> Every day. I want to speak to us on this
4:37subject. I won't come down.
4:41Somebody, you ought to tell yourself
4:42that right now. I won't come down. Yeah.
4:45Tell yourself another time, I'm doing a
4:47great work and I won't come down.
4:54As a young boy, trips to our grocery
4:58store
4:59were quite an adventure.
5:03I had the grocery bags, what we call
5:06back then the scandal bag, the lauder
5:09bag. Do I have a witness?
5:12I had them tucked away in one of my
5:14front pockets.
5:17>> I'd usually have the the shopping list
5:20and the money folded in my other front
5:24pocket.
5:26That left my hands free to be filled
5:29with stones
5:33because there were many dogs that I
5:36passed along the way to the store. I I
5:39kid you not, I still remember
5:42Back then we we didn't say mister, we
5:44said mass.
5:46So Mass Kennet's yard was the first
5:49place I'd experienced dogs and his
5:51property wasn't properly fenced.
5:54And then after I passed him, there was
5:57Mass Jasper's yard and then the Jennings
6:00property and then lastly Mass Eggbert's
6:04property before I got to the shop.
6:07So, of course, it would always take me a
6:10very long time to get to the store. God
6:13bless you, Minister Jordan. Welcome
6:15back. To get to the store, to get the
6:18groceries, and then to get back home to
6:21angry parents.
6:23And that was so because I stopped to
6:26throw stones at every dog that barked.
6:32And that is why today I can attest to
6:34Winston Churchill's famous statement,
6:37quote, "You will never reach your
6:39destination if you stop and throw stones
6:43at every dog that barks."
6:50>> But we must recognize, however, that
6:53Churchill was not talking about literal
6:56dogs.
6:57Churchill's barking dogs are a metaphor,
7:02a metaphor for distractions on the
7:05journey to our destination.
7:08They represent people and issues that
7:11seek to hinder and assail us in the
7:14pursuit of our divine calling, our
7:17dreams, our goals, and the purposes that
7:21God has birthed in our spirit. But
7:25Nehemiah's story illustrates for us how
7:29those barking dogs, those distractions,
7:32how they operate and intensify
7:36whenever we are making progress on God's
7:39agenda for our lives and for the kingdom
7:43of God. Nehemiah chapters 5 and 6. They
7:47function as a single unit of thought,
7:50illustrating to us that sin, everybody
7:53shout sin. That sin lies at the core of
7:57every distraction.
7:59Distractions arise because of sin and
8:03their intent is to move us off God's
8:06agenda to cause us to miss the mark.
8:09Which missing the mark is actually one
8:13of the biblical definitions of sin.
8:16Missing the mark, missing out on what
8:19God wants us to do. We can we can get so
8:22caught up investing in whatever that
8:25distraction is in your life that you
8:28miss whatever it is that God would have
8:31you to do in this life. I want you to
8:33think about that great distraction that
8:36is facing you right now. And I want you
8:40to if you can look at it at its core,
8:44can you discern the sin factor? What
8:47what what is that distraction for you?
8:50What is that thing that is keeping you
8:54from fully submitting and surrendering
8:58yourself to the will of God for your
9:01life? Can you discern the sin factor at
9:04the core of that distraction?
9:07Brothers and sisters, if we look at it
9:10closely, we can see it. And and I want
9:12to argue today, drawing on Nehemiah
9:15chapters 5 and six, that being faithful
9:18to God and God's calling requires us to
9:23confront those distractions, hear me,
9:27within our camp, quote unquote camp, and
9:30to counter those distractions that arise
9:34from the outside while staying focused
9:38on Jesus and on the mission that God has
9:41called us to. Can the church say amen?
9:45>> I want to talk to us on two points
9:47today. Just two points. Number one is
9:49drawn from chapter 5. In chapter five,
9:52we see Nehemiah confronting selfishness
9:56and oppression inside the camp. We see
10:00him confronting selfishness and
10:02oppression inside the camp. in in in
10:06Nehemiah chapter 5, this this work of
10:08the wall that we've been talking about
10:11from chapter one, this work of the wall
10:14halts. It comes to a grinding pause not
10:18because of sandbat and his company, but
10:22because of internal challenges rooted in
10:26selfishness and exploitation. And
10:28brothers and sisters, I want you to lean
10:30in here because selfishness may seem to
10:33be very benign at its core. It it it you
10:36may say to the preacher, "Preacher, why
10:37are you wasting time talking about
10:39selfishness?" But we can't have
10:42selfishness without self.
10:45Brothers and sisters,
10:47selfishness which arises out of an
10:51unbridled unchecked sense of self
10:54borders on idolatry because it puts self
10:58at the center instead of God. No wonder
11:02Thomas Merin says the selfish quote live
11:05on the doorstep of hell unquote for
11:08thinking that the world revolves around
11:11them. for thinking that everyone and
11:14everything exists to serve them. And if
11:17that is you in the house, the Lord is
11:19trying to tell you, stop being
11:21distracted by your own self because when
11:23you are distracted by you, then you
11:26cause distraction to other people that
11:28God wants to use.
11:30>> God wants to save.
11:32>> So brothers and sisters, we hear in
11:35verses 1 to six of chapter 5, a great
11:38outcry. A great outcry. There was a
11:40great outcry among a particular category
11:43of people who felt the weight of the
11:46distraction who who felt the oppression
11:49of their wealthy brethren who exploited
11:52them who lent them money at high
11:54interest rates and seized their lands
11:56and put their children into slavery when
11:58they couldn't pay. The war ceased
12:01because the people of God were
12:03distracted by internal
12:07uh upheaval that arose from the
12:10selfishness of a few. Lean in here for a
12:13second.
12:15Brothers and sisters, I want you to
12:16understand that the internal
12:20exploitation, the internal distraction
12:23that came about because of self, because
12:27a few decided they want to exploit the
12:30masses. Here's the deal. They they they
12:32created such a severe distraction that
12:35the work of God ceased. The people had
12:39not the wherewithal to fulfill the
12:41mission of the kingdom because they
12:44began to devour one another internally.
12:47I want you to hear me in this house, my
12:49dear brothers and sisters, that the same
12:52thing can happen to a church, to a
12:54family, when selfishness and strife
12:57begin to creep in, when they creep into
13:00congregations, when they creep into
13:02families, when it leads to a loss of
13:04love for one another, when it leads to
13:07unresolvable conflicts. Here is what
13:10happened. The devil smiles because we
13:12become so distracted, so hurt that we
13:15cannot focus on what God has called us
13:18to do. Am I talking to anybody here? And
13:20Nehemiah uh and and and rather and Silot
13:24and Tobaya, they say we don't have to
13:26touch them because they can do bad all
13:28by themselves.
13:30>> Oh my goodness. The wall stops from
13:33being built when we become distracted by
13:38selfishness. Brothers and sisters, there
13:40is a story of Kodak. Kodak. That Kodak
13:45that everybody used to have their films
13:47from Kodak. Anybody remembers Kodak?
13:49>> Yeah. You know they're not around
13:51anymore right?
13:55In 1975,
13:57a young engineer named Steven Sasson, he
14:01invented the world's first digital
14:03camera. It was a revolutionary
14:06breakthrough at that time.
14:09And that breakthrough should have
14:11secured the company's future. If they
14:14could just look ahead and see that in
14:19what 1975 until now, that's about what
14:21uh almost 50 years, 51 years. If they
14:25could look ahead and see that in 51
14:28years, nobody would be putting films
14:31into a camera, nobody would be holding a
14:33camera up to their eyes and taking
14:35pictures, but the world would be
14:38digital. But but but rather instead what
14:42happened is that a few people a few
14:45executives who led the film and the
14:48paper division who were making massive
14:52margins they decided there is no place
14:55for this because if we allow room for
14:57this then it's going to overthrow our
14:59apple cart. It is going to it is going
15:01to put us out of business. So they
15:03suppressed the new technology. They
15:05fought their colleague to protect their
15:07power to perceive to preserve their
15:09profits to prioritize their positions
15:12over the institutions's overarching
15:14mission. Brothers and sisters, their
15:16internal selfishness was not only a
15:19distraction, but it led to the
15:21destruction of a billiondoll empire. I
15:24need you to hear me in this house. The
15:26legacy of Kodak was lost because a few
15:30people decided we're going to clutch our
15:33power to the demise of the mission. But
15:36you've got to hear me in this house.
15:38Whether it is in your family, in your
15:41job, in your church community, we've got
15:44to learn HOW TO TAKE SELF OUT OF THE
15:46WAY. Because when WE BECOME DISTRACTED
15:48BY OURSELVES, when we begin to think
15:51where the cats meow and the dogs bow
15:53out, then we cause a major distraction
15:57that distracts other people until the
15:59work gets hindered.
16:02Get yourself out the way. Come on, nudge
16:04the neighbor. Say, "Neighbor, I love
16:05you, but if yourself is in the way, get
16:08it out the way. Get yourself out the
16:12way."
16:15How did Nehemiah respond to this? How
16:17did he respond to this distraction?
16:20The Bible says to us in verse six, hear
16:22me, that Nehemiah,
16:25he got angry. Somebody say he got angry.
16:28>> He he he got angry. And I I thought
16:31about this. I thought about this for a
16:33while. And this this week, I had the
16:35opportunity to read several essays from
16:38uh the student at purpose institute. And
16:40that let me just make a a plug right
16:42quick that if you want to lean more into
16:44the scriptures and understand God and to
16:47take a deep dive, you need to register
16:49at Purpose Institute. If you got the
16:50Holy Ghost baptized in Jesus's name and
16:52you're looking for purpose,
16:54>> Purpose Institute
16:57read some papers of theirs and they all
17:00pointed to Nehemiah's anger as a part of
17:05his challenge that he had to deal with.
17:07But but but I I want to take a a
17:10different angle of vision on the anger
17:12of Nehemiah in Nehemiah 5 and:e 6
17:15because he was not the first person nor
17:18the last to be angry
17:21by the spirit of God
17:24when there were oppression among the
17:28people of God.
17:30when there were internal oppression that
17:33caused the mission of the kingdom to
17:35cease and to distract the people from
17:38their God-given agenda. He was not the
17:41first to get angry. When I go to 1st
17:42Samuel 11 and verse 6, King Saul in the
17:46days when he was a good king, we see
17:49where THE SPIRIT OF GOD CAME UPON him
17:52and the Bible says the spirit of God
17:54came on him and he got angry. Pastor
17:56Chris, this really blew my mind because
17:58I believe that when the spirit of God
18:00comes upon me, it ought to make me run.
18:02It ought to make me shout. It ought to
18:03make me leave. I THERE IS NO WAY THAT I
18:07RELATE THE SPIRIT OF GOD COMING UPON me
18:10to my being angry. Brothers and sisters,
18:13uh but we also see see this happening to
18:15the Apostle Paul in Acts 16 to 19. When
18:19the spirit of God came upon him, he got
18:22angry. Lean in here for a second,
18:23brothers and sisters. God's spirit
18:25should make every one of us angry when
18:29Satan begins to tear apart our families.
18:32When he begins to tear apart our
18:33churches. When he begins to tear apart
18:35our homes and our jobs. Am I talking to
18:37anybody? Our community, our country. We
18:40ought to be angry in the Holy Ghost.
18:42angry not to destroy people, but angry
18:45enough to get down on our knees in
18:48prayer and TO SAY, "GOD, I NEED TO BE A
18:51PART OF THE solution to I I IS THERE
18:54ANYBODY HERE THAT WANT TO SAY, GOD, LET
18:56YOUR HOLY GHOST IN ME GET ANGRY WHEN I
18:59SEE FOOLISHNESS, WHEN I SEE
19:01DESTRUCTION." AM I TALKING TO ANYBODY?
19:03When I see policies THAT DESTROY
19:05FAMILIES, THAT DESTROY NATION, that aims
19:08to destroy OUR CHURCHES, THE SPIRIT OF
19:10GOD OUGHT TO MAKE US ANGRY ENOUGH TO
19:12INTERCEDE AND TO intervene where
19:15possible.
19:17>> Nehemiah got angry. So what did he do?
19:19He called a great assembly. He called a
19:23great assembly. Because you see,
19:25brothers and sisters, we're going to
19:26notice something with Nehemiah that
19:28Nehemiah recognizes that the distra the
19:32distractions that are so close to home,
19:35we cannot allow them to just resolve
19:40themselves.
19:41>> Let me say that again. THE DISTRACTIONS
19:44THAT ARE SO CLOSE to home, we cannot
19:47expect that if we leave them alone,
19:49they're just going to resolve
19:51themselves. There are some things that
19:53we have to confront. Am I talking to
19:56anybody here? Lean in for a second.
19:58Husband, that distraction, that affair
20:01that is distracting you from protecting
20:03your family, am I TALKING TO ANYBODY
20:05HERE? GOD IS SAYING you've got to
20:08CONFRONT THAT BECAUSE THAT'S NOT JUST
20:09GOING TO GO AWAY.
20:12FATHERS, PARENTS, that distraction in
20:14your child's life that is keeping them
20:17from a fulfilling relationship with God.
20:19Every hour of the night, they are up on
20:22some game talking to somebody all the
20:25way across the world. Does anybody
20:26remember the days when we got the
20:28Nintendo and you walk with your
20:29cartridge and all your friends were in
20:32the same room and at least your parents
20:33knew who you were talking with? NOW
20:35THEY'RE ALL over the place. Roblox and
20:37all of these things are becoming a great
20:39distraction. Am I TALKING TO ANYBODY?
20:42SOMEBODY HAS GOT TO CONFRONT THAT
20:44BECAUSE THAT'S NOT JUST GOING TO GO
20:45AWAY.
20:47>> Some things we got to confront when you
20:50look when and inside the camp in the
20:52case of Nehemiah is talking within the
20:54congregation but there are people within
20:56the congregation and so we have to look
20:59within ourselves. WHAT IS THAT
21:01DISTRACTION THAT IS AT THE CENTER OF
21:03YOUR HEART? AND YOU'RE SAYING, "UH, time
21:06is going to uh take this away from me."
21:08But it's been 20 YEARS AND IT'S STILL
21:10THERE. IT'S ABOUT TIME THAT YOU GET
21:13ANGRY ENOUGH IN THE HOLY GHOST AT THE
21:15BONDAGE AND THE OPPRESSION IN YOUR OWN
21:17HEART TO DECIDE, I GOT TO CONFRONT THIS.
21:20>> Am I talking to anybody here?
21:23>> Nehemiah called a great assembly and in
21:25verses 7 to 10, he rebuked. There was
21:28the rebuke in verses 7 to 10. He He
21:31confronted those who were doing wrong.
21:33He confronted those who were selfish. He
21:35called them to repentance. He called
21:38them to repentance. You got to hear me,
21:39church. That word repentance is still a
21:42good word. It is still necessary even
21:45for those who are already filled with
21:47the Holy Ghost. I HEAR PAUL SAYING THAT
21:49I DIE DAILY. AM I TALKING TO ANYBODY?
21:52YEAH. YEAH. I I'm glad for an apostle
21:54who WAS USED BY GOD TO do great
21:56miracles, but yet HE NEVER SAW HIMSELF
21:59above the place of repentance. AND I
22:01CALL EVERYBODY IN THIS HOUSE. IF YOU
22:04KNOW THAT YOURSELF, YOUR FLESH, YOUR
22:06CARNALITY HAS BEEN GETTING IN THE WAY OF
22:09WHAT GOD WANTS YOU TO DO INDIVIDUALLY
22:12AND IN THE BODY. I CALL YOU TODAY TO
22:14REPENTANCE. OH, HALLELUJAH. HALLELUJAH.
22:18Kneeling there. Hash shama. Glory to
22:20God. in deep contrition. Am I talking to
22:23anybody? I'M CALLING ON SOMEBODY TODAY
22:25with reckless abandon to call on God AND
22:28TO SAY, "SAVIOR,
22:30BLESSED SAVIOR, HEAR MY HUMBLE CRY WHILE
22:33ON OTHERS YOU ARE CALLING. DO NOT PASS
22:36me by.
22:38>> I'm kneeling here before you."
22:39Hallelujah. Hallelujah. In deep
22:42contrition. He called them. He called
22:44them to repentance. He called them to
22:46repentance on three basis. One, their
22:48love for each other. Verse 78. He
22:50stressed you are brethren. Your love for
22:53your fellow servants, your love for your
22:55husband, your love for your wife, your
22:56love for your children, your love for
22:58your brethren, your love for your
23:00co-workers, your love wherever that
23:02selfishness is flaring up. The your love
23:05for that person or those people who are
23:08being affected ought to prompt you to do
23:11the right thing. Am I talking to anybody
23:12here?
23:14It is not our speaking in tonesues that
23:16defines our disciplehip.
23:20>> I believe that when the Holy Ghost
23:21comes, we speak in tonesues as the
23:23spirit of God gives the utterance.
23:25That's the only precedence we see in
23:27scripture. I believe we ought to be
23:29baptized in water calling upon the name
23:32OF JESUS CHRIST. AM I TALKING TO
23:34ANYBODY? I I believe I believe all of
23:37those things. But Jesus said, "By this
23:40we'll all know that you are my
23:42disciples." How? If you have love one
23:46for another,
23:48>> that's the crux.
23:50>> He called them on the basis of their
23:52love for each other. He called them on
23:53the basis of their fear of God. In verse
23:559, he says to them, God takes personally
23:58how you treat each other within the
24:00body. God takes personally how you treat
24:02your children, how you treat your
24:04family, how you treat your brothers and
24:05sisters. And he said, "If you fear God,
24:09then you will not allow yourself to
24:12cause you to oppress and to exploit
24:14others." Because here's what Micah 6 and
24:16verse 8 says. He says, "God has told
24:18you, oh mortal one, what is good and
24:21what does the Lord require of you but to
24:25do justice, to love mercy, and to walk
24:27humbly before your God." Am I talking to
24:29anybody in this place?
24:31>> He called them to repentance on the
24:34basis of their witness. Verse 9, HE
24:35SAYS, "HOW CAN YOU SHOW THE LOVE OF GOD
24:39TO OTHER PEOPLE WHO are outside
24:43if you don't love those who are on the
24:44inside?" Am I talking to anybody here?
24:46>> Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. H HOW HOW CAN YOU GO
24:49MILES TO WITNESS TO SOMEBODY WHEN YOU
24:52DON'T LOVE YOUR CHILDREN? Am I talking?
24:53Lean in here. Don't turn away. H HOW CAN
24:55YOU GO MILES TO TELL PEOPLE ABOUT THE
24:58LOVE OF GOD AND HOW IT CHANGES AND
25:00TRANSFORM YOU WHEN YOU ARE still as mean
25:02AS A JUNKYARD DOG IN YOUR FAMILY? AM I
25:06TALKING TO ANYBODY? HE SAID, "I CALL YOU
25:09TO REPENT."
25:13>> He rebuked them. But I love verses 11
25:16to13 because they show us now he moves
25:18from the rebuke to the reform. Brothers
25:20and sisters, I I love I love these I
25:23love these nobles in Nehemiah. They they
25:25gave some promise. But here's the deal.
25:27When they were called out by Neahhemiah,
25:30they repented. Everybody say they
25:31repented.
25:33>> They repented. They restored the lands,
25:36the vineyard, the olive groves, the
25:38houses, the money, the grain, the wine,
25:40the oil, and above that they restored
25:43the dignity of the people that they were
25:46exploiting. You are not too big to
25:49repent. You are not too saved to repent.
25:53Every one of us EVERY NOW AND THEN NEED
25:55TO DO LIKE DAVID. TAKE THAT ROYAL CROWN
25:58OFF YOUR HEAD. TAKE YOUR PURPLE ROBE OFF
26:01AND CLOTHE YOURSELF IN SACKCLOTH AND
26:03ASHES AND GET INTO SOME DAYS OF FASTING
26:06AND SAY, "HAVE MERCY UPON ME, OH GOD,
26:09ACCORDING TO THE MULTITUDE OF YOUR
26:11TENDER MERCIES. BLOT OUT MY
26:13TRANSGRESSION." I FEEL THE HOLY Ghost in
26:16this place. Is there anybody in THIS
26:18PLACE THAT KNOWS THAT EVERY NOW AND THEN
26:21YOU STILL NEED TO REPENT AND CALL UPON
26:23THE NAME OF THE LORD?
26:26YES.
26:28YES. YES. YES. Reform and restoration
26:32came because the people repented. Yeah.
26:35Yeah. Families were rebuilt. The
26:37community got stronger. Why? Because the
26:40people repented. How about you today,
26:42friend? Do you have anything in your
26:44life that God has been pinching you
26:47about and has been saying to you? You
26:50need to bring that before me in
26:51repentance because it's CAUSING A
26:53DISTRACTION NOT ONLY TO YOU BUT TO
26:55EVERYBODY around you. How about you? Can
26:57you humble yourself enough today to fall
27:00on your knees to swallow your pride and
27:03say to God, "I REPENT BEFORE YOU TODAY.
27:06I CHANGED MY MIND. I WAS GOING THE WRONG
27:09WAY, BUT THANK GOD AS OF TODAY I'M
27:11turning around. Am I talking to anybody
27:13in this house? GIVE ME A turn around in
27:15my life so I can be a BETTER SAINT. GIVE
27:18ME A TURNAROUND IN MY LIFE SO I CAN BE A
27:21BETTER PERSON. PUT YOUR SPIRIT WITHIN
27:23ME, OH GOD.
27:26>> HALLELUJAH.
27:27>> HALLELUJAH.
27:28>> Nehemiah became the first example. He
27:30became the great example in verses 14 to
27:3319. This man was repenting even for
27:35things that he had not done. Nehemiah,
27:38he showed his selflessness. He decided,
27:40I'm not going to take that which is
27:42mine. I'm going to give that to those
27:44who are suffering. And he said, I do it
27:46because I fear God. Brothers and
27:49sisters, this fear of God ought to come
27:53back to the house of God.
27:55>> We do too many things because we don't
27:57fear God. Yeah. Yeah. Look that neighbor
27:59in the face. Say, "Neighbor, sometime we
28:00do too much." Come on, tell them. Say,
28:02"Neighbor, sometime we do too much." And
28:04what? Why? Because we no longer FEAR
28:06GOD. WE NO LONGER REVERENCE GOD. I'M NOT
28:09TALKING TO ANYBODY. BUT IF THERE'S A
28:10HOLY REVERENCE AND A HOLY FEAR OF GOD
28:14THAT CAN COME BACK TO THE PEOPLE OF GOD,
28:16WE WILL COME IN LINE WITH THE WILL OF
28:18GOD FOR our lives. Shama. Glory to God.
28:23Glory to God. He shared in verses 17 to
28:2519. And I like his prayer at the end. He
28:27said, "Remember me, oh God, for good."
28:31Hallelujah. according to all that I've
28:33done for this people. Because at the end
28:35of the day, it is the memory of God that
28:38I lean for. I work for his memory. I
28:41work to hear him say, "One day, no
28:42matter how long it takes from now, well
28:45done, hashama, good and FAITHFUL
28:48SERVANT. ENTER THOU IN THE JOY." IF GOD
28:51PRICKS ME, I'M NOT AFRAID TO FALL ON MY
28:53FACE AND CRY OUT BEFORE GOD. WHY?
28:56Because I don't care what YOU THINK
28:57ABOUT ABOUT you know when you a lot of
28:59us are afraid to come to the altar
29:00because we're afraid of what people are
29:02going to think. What did he do now? What
29:04did No, no, no, no, no. I'm not afraid
29:07to repent and to cry out. Why? Because
29:09it is his memory that I'M INTERESTED IN.
29:12I WANT TO HEAR HIM SAY, "Well done."
29:16>> He confronted
29:18>> selfishness and oppression in the camp.
29:20I'm almost through here. The second
29:21point is shorter. He countered seduction
29:25and opposition outside the camp. He
29:29countered seduction and opposition
29:31outside the camp. Brothers and sisters,
29:33the the internal crisis was resolved.
29:36The people got back to work. The wall
29:38was almost complete. And then the
29:41external enemies resurfaced with a
29:43barrage of psychological attacks,
29:46deception, rumors, fear-mongering. Why?
29:49to pull Nehemiah and the Jews off the
29:52wall. Lean in for a second. You have an
29:54adversary that never stops. Yeah. He
29:58will never ever stop trying to get you
30:01off the wall. And that is why you have
30:04to be determined within your soul. I am
30:07going to be more persistent than the
30:09enemy. Am I talking to anybody here?
30:11Some things you're just going to have to
30:13endure through it. You're going to have
30:15to just tough THROUGH SOME THINGS. AM I
30:16TALKING TO ANYBODY IN THIS PLACE? SOME
30:18THINGS WE'RE JUST GOING TO HAVE TO
30:19SQUARE OUR SHOULDERS. MY GOD, LIFT OUR
30:22HEADS TO THE SKY AND TELL OURSELVES, AS
30:25LONG AS THE LORD WILL GIVE ME STRENGTH,
30:28I'M GOING TO PUSH THROUGH THIS. AM I
30:30TALKING TO ANYBODY? I'm not about to
30:33give up. No retreat, NO SURRENDER, NO
30:35TURNING BACK. MY ENEMY NEVER STOP. BUT
30:37HERE'S THE DEAL. I'M NOT GOING TO STOP
30:39EITHER. I'm not going to stop praying.
30:41I'm not going to stop fasting. I'm not
30:42going to STOP SEEKING THE FACE OF GOD.
30:44I'M NOT GOING TO STOP WALKING IN THE
30:46POWER OF THE HOLY GHOST.
30:49>> The enemy wouldn't stop, but Nehemiah
30:51wouldn't stop also. Oh God. In chapter
30:565, we saw Nehemiah dropping everything
30:59to confront the internal distractions.
31:03But in chapter six, we see a different
31:05Nehemiah.
31:06He completely dismisses what's going on
31:08on the outside. He dismisses the noise.
31:11Because here's the deal. the internal
31:15holiness and wholeness of your heart, of
31:19your family, of your church. It matters
31:22enough for you to stop to confront that.
31:24BUT THE TALKERS ON THE OUTSIDE, THE
31:27NAYSAYERS, they have a cliche in
31:30culture. Haters are going to hate. Am I
31:32talking to ANYBODY HERE? LET LET THOSE
31:34ON THE OUTSIDE TALK. AM I TALKING TO
31:36ANYBODY? BUT WHILE THEY TALKING, we're
31:38just going to keep walking. AM I TALKING
31:40TO ANYBODY IN THIS PLACE? OH, GOD. I
31:42FEEL the help of the LORD IN THIS PLACE.
31:45We've got to understand this that if
31:47we're going to be faithful and complete
31:49the mission that God has given to us, we
31:51need to know and discern what to
31:54confront and what just to just to give
31:56them a word of scripture and leave it
31:57and keep it moving. Am I talking to
31:59anybody here? And let God deal with it.
32:02>> The first strategy of the enemy was the
32:04friendly meeting, quoteunquote friendly
32:06meeting. Sandal at Tobias sent TO
32:08NHEMIAH FOUR TIMES. I'm telling you,
32:11your enemy is relentless in this walk of
32:14faith. It is never one and done. It is
32:18never one prayer and you're done. I like
32:22that old Jamaican song
32:25on with all PRAYER AND SUPPLICATION
32:29AFTER YOU'VE DONE ALL YOU CAN.
32:31HALLELUJAH. I feel the Holy Ghost. HE
32:33SAID TO HIM FOUR TIMES, "COME DOWN in
32:36the valley of Ono. We just want to have
32:38a friendly meeting with you." No, no,
32:40no, no, no. It's We're not No. It's not
32:43anything bad. It's just a It's just a
32:45friendly meeting. Watch those friendly
32:47invites. Lean in here. Lean in here.
32:50You're married, but that person's been
32:52trying to to get you to just a friendly
32:55coffee.
32:56>> Yeah. Am I talking to anybody? A a
32:58friendly coffee break. Yeah. Yeah. YOU
33:00YOU KNOW THAT THIS IS NOT the person for
33:03you single people and and they just just
33:06it it's just a friendly am I talking to
33:08ANYBODY IN THIS HOUSE YOU'VE GOT TO
33:10WATCH those friendly uh Lenion wrote a
33:13book entitled death by meeting well this
33:16is literally the case of death by
33:19meeting because had he gone there their
33:21secret plot was to assassinate him there
33:24are some things that look innocent on
33:26the outside BUT IF YOU GIVE YOURSELF TO
33:29IT IT'S GOAL AND THE GOAL OF THE ENEMY
33:31IS TO DISTRACT YOU AND DESTROY YOU FROM
33:34YOUR FAITH IN GOD. BUT IS THERE anybody
33:37in this house that has the counteraction
33:39that Nehemiah had when he discerned what
33:42they were going to do? He lifted his
33:44voice and said, "I'm doing a great work
33:46so that I cannot come down." AM I
33:48TALKING TO ANYBODY? IS THERE ANYBODY IN
33:50THIS HOUSE THAT WANT TO LIFT YOUR VOICE
33:52IN HERE NOW AND SAY, "I KNOW WHAT YOU'RE
33:54TRYING TO DO, DEVIL, BUT I'M DOING A
33:57GREAT WORK SO THAT I CANNOT COME DOWN
33:59FOR WHY SHOULD THE WORK CEASE WHILE I
34:02leave it to come down TO YOU TO HANG OUT
34:04WITH YOU, to go ON A DATE WITH YOU. AM I
34:06TALKING TO ANYBODY IN THIS PLACE? I
34:09WON'T COME DOWN." SOMEBODY SHOUT, "I
34:12won't come down."
34:14Somebody shout, "I won't come down." You
34:17got to hear me, brothers and sisters.
34:18faithfulness requires that we discern
34:22those no good uh meetings and snares of
34:27the enemy and to say like what our
34:30bishop S. Robert Stewart would say, keep
34:32the main thing the main thing because
34:35distractions are there to stop you from
34:38achieving your purpose. AM I TALKING TO
34:40ANYBODY? ANYTIME THERE IS A DISTRACTION,
34:42NO MATTER HOW SUBTLE IT COMES, THE POINT
34:45THE PLAN OF THE ENEMY IS TO DESTROY your
34:47soul. There is a lot of people looking
34:49back now and they're saying, "My God, if
34:50I'd only seen what that first smoke
34:53would have done to me, what that first
34:55drink WOULD HAVE DONE." AM I TALKING TO
34:57ANYBODY MANY YEARS LATER, BUT IF I CAN
34:59HAVE SOMEBODY IN THE HOUSE, IT MAY SOUND
35:02GOOD. IT MAY LOOK GOOD, BUT SOMEBODY
35:04OUGHT TO LIFT YOUR VOICE AND SAY, "I'M
35:06DOING A GREAT WORK AND I WON'T COME
35:09DOWN."
35:11I feel the Holy Ghost. Neighbors, don't
35:13come down. Hallelujah. Young people WHO
35:16ARE SERVING GOD, DON'T COME DOWN.
35:19Seniors who have given years TO THE
35:21LORD, DON'T COME DOWN. IT NO MATTER HOW
35:23GOOD IT LOOKS OR SOUNDS, TELL YOURSELF,
35:26I AM NOT COMING DOWN CUZ I'M DOING A
35:30GREAT WORK.
35:34>> OH, GOD. When the friendly meeting
35:37didn't work, there were the false rumors
35:39in verses 5-9. They sent a public letter
35:42accusing Neahhemiah of rebellion so that
35:45they could slander his authority and his
35:47reputation among the Jews. So that they
35:49could raise suspicion of him in the
35:51courts of Persia. So they could bait
35:53him, hear this, in the endless PR of
35:56defending himself.
35:58>> So that they could get him every day to
36:00be on social media trying to clear his
36:01name. Am I talking to anybody here?
36:03Yeah. Yeah. be on Instagram every day
36:05trying to clear your name until you make
36:08people aware of a rumor that they were
36:11not even aware of. Am I talking to
36:12anybody? But if you can do I feel the
36:15Holy Ghost in here. If you can counter
36:17them like Nehemiah countered. Nehemiah
36:20just said no such things are being done
36:23but you invent them in your own heart
36:25and he was done. Am I talking to anybody
36:27in this place? Sometimes we got to pray
36:30the prayer that Nehemiah PRAYED. NOW
36:32THEREFORE, GOD, STRENGTHEN my hands,
36:34while they talk, WHILE THEY ASSASSINATE,
36:37STRENGTHEN MY HAND FOR THE WORK, FOR
36:39THUS SAID THE LORD TO YOU. DO NOT BE
36:42afraid nor dismayed because of the great
36:44multitude, for the battle is not yours.
36:46Am I talking to anybody? SLAP THAT
36:48NEIGHBOR HIGH FIVE AND SAY, "NEIGHBOR,
36:51STOP TRYING TO DEFEND YOURSELF. STOP
36:54TRYING TO USE EVERY FORUM. I FEEL THE
36:56HOLY GHOST IN HERE TO clear your name
36:58for the battle is not yours but it
37:01belongs to the Lord. COME ON, SLAP
37:03SOMEBODY ELSE HIGH FIVE AND SAY
37:05NEIGHBOR, STAND STILL and see the
37:08salvation of the Lord. STAND STILL AND
37:12LET THE LORD FIGHT YOUR BATTLES. YOU
37:14KEEP on working. You keep on serving.
37:17You keep on praying. YOU KEEP ON SHOWING
37:20UP. You keep on BEING FAITHFUL BECAUSE
37:22THE LORD
37:24WILL FIGHT FOR YOU. I FEEL THE HOLY
37:27GHOST in here. For if GOD BE FOR YOU,
37:30WHO CAN BE AGAINST YOU? FOR NO WEAPON
37:34THAT IS FORMED AGAINST YOU SHALL PROSPER
37:36AND ANY TONGUE THAT RISES AGAINST YOU IN
37:39JUDGMENT? GOD.
37:43>> I feel the Holy Ghost in here. I got to
37:45close this message here, brothers and
37:47sisters. When the friendly meeting
37:49didn't work, when the false rumors
37:50didn't work, they sent a fake friend.
37:53They sent a fake friend to Nehemiah in
37:55verses 10 to 4. You've got to watch. Oh
37:58God, you've got to watch out now. God, I
38:01feel you helping me in here. You've got
38:03to watch that person that lately has
38:05been trying to attach themsel to you. AM
38:07I TALKING TO ANYBODY? YEAH. YEAH. YEAH.
38:10TRYING TO FLATTER YOU AND TALK NICE TO
38:11YOU because sometimes I feel the Holy
38:15Ghost in here. They want to hug you
38:17close. so they can stab you in the back.
38:19AM I TALKING TO ANYBODY? I'm not saying
38:21now. I'm not saying be paranoid. I'm
38:23saying be discerning. Let your
38:26discernment be up. AM I TALKING TO
38:27ANYBODY HERE? YEAH. YEAH. YEAH. YEAH.
38:31They sent a fake friend with all the
38:33right words saying, Nehemiah, thus said
38:35the Lord. I feel the Holy Ghost here.
38:37These are the worst ones. The ones who
38:39come in the name of the Lord. Thus say
38:42the Lord. come and hide with me in the
38:45temple because they're planning to kill
38:47you. Ah God. Ah brothers and sisters.
38:51But here is the counteraction. Nehemiah
38:54decided should such a man as I flee. Am
38:57I talking to anybody here? Because God
39:01had showed to Nehemiah that if he went
39:04to the temple, not only would he not
39:06save his life, but he would go against
39:09what the word of God says. Why? Because
39:11only the priests were allowed in the
39:13temple. Am I talking to anybody here?
39:15Leaning for a second. You can know that
39:16they're not for you. When they want you
39:19TO DO THINGS THAT go against THE WORD OF
39:21GOD, NOT ONLY I FEEL LIKE PREACHING IN
39:24HERE, he talked like he was LOOKING UP
39:26FOR NEHEMIAH'S BEST INTEREST. BUT HAD
39:29Nehemiah gone in there, not only would
39:31he have become a derision among the
39:34enemy, but he would fail God. I feel the
39:37Holy Ghost in here. But come on, touch
39:39somebody one more time. I said,
39:40"Neighbor, stand still." Come on, tell
39:43them, "Stand still AND SEE THE SALVATION
39:47of the Lord." DON'T RUN FROM EVERYTHING.
39:51STAND up and look the enemy in THE FACE
39:55AND TELL THEM, "I KNOW WHAT YOU'RE UP
39:57TO, BUT I SERVE A MIGHTY GOD. I SERVE A
40:01LIVING GOD, AND GOD'S GOT MY BACK." DOES
40:05ANYBODY IN HERE KNOW THAT GOD'S GOT YOUR
40:07BACK? I FEEL THE HOLY GHOST IN HERE. YOU
40:10OUGHT TO SAY IT IN HERE. LIFT YOUR VOICE
40:12IN THIS PLACE AND SAY, "GOD'S GOT MY
40:15BACK." I FEEL THE HOLY GHOST in here.
40:18SAY, "GOD'S GOT MY BACK." LET THE LIARS
40:21LIE. I FEEL THE HOLY GHOST IN HERE. LET
40:23THE BACKSTABBERS COME OUT, BUT GOD HAS
40:27GOT ME. IS THERE ANYBODY IN THIS PLACE
40:31RIGHT NOW WHO WANT TO LIFT YOUR HAND IN
40:33THE SANCTUARY AND SAY, "LORD, I THANK
40:35YOU."
40:36Come on, lift your hand in THE SANCTUARY
40:38AND SAY, "LORD, I THANK YOU. I THANK YOU
40:42THAT YOU'VE GOT ME. YOU'VE GOT ME IN THE
40:45MORNING. YOU'VE GOT ME IN THE EVENING.
40:47THANK YOU, LORD, FOR YOUR POWER AROUND
40:50ME. THANK YOU THAT EVEN THOUGH I WALK
40:54THROUGH THE VALLEY of the shadow of
40:57death, I'll fear no evil, for the Lord
41:02is with me. His rod AND HIS STAFF, THEY
41:07COMFORT ME. SURELY,
41:12SURELY GOODNESS AND MERCY SHALL FOLLOW
41:16ME. ALL THE DAYS OF MY LIFE, I REFUSE TO
41:21GO INTO HIDING. I REFUSE TO STOP
41:24TESTIFYING. I REFUSE TO QUIT PRAYING.
41:27FOR GOODNESS AND MERCY SHALL FOLLOW ME
41:30ALL THE DAYS OF MY LIFE.
41:35Somebody shout, "I shall dwell."
41:37Somebody shout, "I shall dwell in the
41:40house of the Lord." He prayed. Nehemiah
41:43prayed. HE SAID, "GOD, REMEMBER THE
41:45ENEMIES. Take care of THEM BECAUSE GOD'S
41:49GOT THEM." LET ME REMIND YOU one more
41:51time as I get ready to close that the
41:53battle is not yours. It belongs to the
41:57Lord. STOP TRYING TO FIGHT OFF
42:00EVERYBODY. I feel like preaching IN THIS
42:03PLACE BECAUSE THE BATTLE IS NOT YOURS
42:07BUT IT IS THE LORD'S. I FEEL LIKE SAYING
42:10IT ONE LAST TIME. I SAID THE BATTLE IS
42:13NOT YOURS. IT BELONGS TO GOD. STAND
42:17STILL AND SEE THE SALVATION OF THE LORD.
42:22STAND STILL AND SEE WHAT GOD IS GETTING
42:26READY TO DO. I FEEL THE HOLY Ghost in
42:28here. Oh God. Brothers and sisters,
42:32whenever your day of temptation comes,
42:35you ought to look the enemy in the face
42:37AND TELL THEM, "I'M DOING A GREAT WORK
42:40AND I can't COME DOWN. I'M DOING A GREAT
42:43WORK. I JUST CAN'T COME DOWN. MY SUNDAY
42:47SCHOOL CLASS IS TOO IMPORTANT. I CAN'T
42:49COME DOWN. MY FAMILY MATTERS. I CAN'T
42:52COME DOWN. MY CHURCH IS IMPORTANT. I
42:56CAN'T COME DOWN. I FEEL THE HOLY GHOST
42:58IN HERE. MY CHILDREN MATTER. I CAN'T
43:01COME DOWN. MY SPOUSE MATTERS. I CAN'T
43:05COME DOWN. I FEEL THE HOLY GHOST. MY
43:08HOLINESS MATTERS. I CAN'T COME DOWN.
43:11SOMEBODY SHOUT IT IN HERE. SAY I
43:15I won't
43:19I won't come down. Oh, let me close
43:22here. Brothers and sisters, the Bible
43:24says as I conclude, the Bible says in
43:27verses 15 to 16 that because Nehemiah
43:31didn't come down. He didn't stop when
43:33there were internal issues. He
43:35confronted them and kept it moving. He
43:37didn't stop when there were external
43:39threats. He countered them and kept it
43:41moving. Here's the deal. The wall,
43:43hallelujah, was finished on the 25th
43:46day.
43:47It was finished on the 25th day. Uh, in
43:5052 days, the wall was done. Hallelujah.
43:54Somebody say, "My work will be
43:56completed." Come on. My mission has got
43:58to be completed. If I can stay focused,
44:02if I can stay focused to the end, my
44:04mission will be completed. MY JOURNEY
44:07WILL BE DONE. IF I CAN HOLD ON for just
44:11A LITTLE WHILE LONGER. HOLD ON FOR JUST
44:14A LITTLE WHILE LONGER. If you just keep
44:17on going, keep on praying. KEEP ON
44:20TRYING. KEEP ON GETTING UP THE NEXT DAY.
44:22HERE'S THE DEAL. THE WORK will one day
44:25BE OVER AND YOUR GOD WILL LOOK AT YOU
44:28and will say, "Well done.
44:31>> The work was done." Hallelujah. I love
44:33this here. The work was finished. Can I
44:36say it again? The work was finished. The
44:39work was finished. And here's the deal.
44:41When the enemies heard it, when they
44:43heard it, here's the deal. They became
44:46disheartened in their own eyes. If you
44:48keep on working, ah, God, if you don't
44:51stop to throw stones at every dog, if
44:53you don't stop to FIGHT EVERY BATTLE,
44:55YOU WILL FINISH YOUR WORK. And here's
44:56the deal. The same enemies that were
44:59TRYING TO STOP NEHEMIAH HAD to turn
45:01around and say God was ON THEIR SIDE. AM
45:04I TALKING TO ANYBODY HERE? I SAID THE
45:06SAME ENEMY THAT WAS TRYING TO PULL YOU
45:09OUT WILL HAVE to look at you when your
45:11work IS DONE AND SAY GOD WAS ON THEIR
45:14SIDE.
45:16>> God was on their side. Hear me as I
45:18close to those who feel like you're
45:21you're overcoming distractions. Hear me.
45:24Remain vigilant. Remain discerning.
45:27Verses 17 to 19 show that even after the
45:30wall was successfully completed, there
45:32were still issues. But brothers and
45:34sisters, here's the deal. Nehemiah and
45:36the Jews kept on MAKING PROGRESS. DO NOT
45:39BE LULLED INTO A FALSE SENSE OF
45:42SECURITY. KEEP YOUR SPIRITUAL
45:43DISCERNMENT at an all-time high and keep
45:46on working. KEEP YOUR PRAYER LIFE
45:48CONSTANT. KEEP YOUR FOCUS ON JESUS. KEEP
45:51YOUR WORK GOING BECAUSE WHEN YOU'RE
45:53DOING A GREAT WORK FOR THE LORD, YOU'VE
45:55GOT TO JUST TELL YOURSELF SOMETIME, "I
45:57WON'T COME DOWN." HALLELUJAH. Somebody
45:59say one time. Say, "I won't come down."
46:00>> I won't. Hear me to those who are in
46:04this house today and you may not feel in
46:05the sight of overcoming. To you, you
46:07feel overwhelmed by distractions.
46:10You feel like it's taking you out of the
46:12game. You feel like distractions are
46:15keeping you away from a full surrender
46:17of your life to God. Take a page from
46:19Nehemiah's book. He confronted the
46:23distractions within his camp. Hear me.
46:26That's where it starts. You may have
46:28some things that are pleasant,
46:30pleasurable distractions, but they're
46:32keeping you away from what God desires
46:35for you to be, to become, and to do in
46:38the kingdom OF GOD. IT'S HARD FOR YOU TO
46:41TO TO SAY NO TO WHAT'S ON THE OUTSIDE
46:44BECAUSE YOU HAVE NOT YET LEARNED HOW TO
46:46CONFRONT what's on the inside.
46:48>> Am I talking to anybody here? God is
46:50saying to you today, right now in this
46:52house, hallelujah, those that are within
46:55your heart, within your family, within
46:57your close relationship, don't dismiss
46:59it. Confront it today, you need to
47:03confront it in the power of the Holy
47:06Ghost. If you can repent SHAMA, YOUR
47:09LIFE CAN BE REFORMED. IF YOU CAN SAY TO
47:12GOD, I'M TIRED OF TRYING TO FIGHT THIS
47:14ON MY OWN. IF YOU CAN HELP ME WITH THE
47:17POWER OF THE HOLY GHOST, HE WILL FILL
47:19YOU UP AND HE'LL FIGHT THE BATTLES THAT
47:21YOU CAN'T FIGHT.
47:23>> I want to open the altar to you today.
47:26Choir praise sing. I don't know if you
47:27know this song. I I hate throwing songs
47:28at you at last minute like this, but but
47:31there is this I like this song by
47:33Horatio Palmer from 1868.
47:36He said, "Ye not to temptation."
47:38Hallelujah.
47:39>> For yielding is sin.
47:42Each victory will help you some other TO
47:46WIN. FIGHT VEILANTLY ONWARD. Dark
47:49passion subdue. Look ever to Jesus for
47:53he will carry you through. Ask the
47:56savior to help you. Oh God, I feel him
47:59in here. Is there anybody in this house
48:01you need to run TO THIS ALTAR TODAY AND
48:04ASK THE SAVIOR TO HELP YOU COMFORT,
48:07STRENGTHEN, and keep you? for he is
48:09willing to aid you and he will carry you
48:12through. Come on, praise singers. Is
48:14there anybody in this house in THESE
48:16LAST CLOSING MOMENTS OF THE SERVICE,
48:19YOU'VE BEEN DISTRACTED FOR TOO LONG AND
48:21GOD IS TRYING TO TELL YOU, I WANT TO DO
48:24SOMETHING GREAT IN YOUR LIFE. ASK THE
48:27Savior to help you today.
48:29>> If you can run to this altar,
48:30hallelujah, hallelujah, and ask him to
48:34help you. Ask him to help you with the
48:36battles you can't seem to win. Come on,
48:38listen.
48:39We have told ourselves that the altar is
48:41only for the sinners. But that's not
48:43correct. The priest was the first person
48:45at the altar every day. So every
48:49believer in here, you are a priest
48:50before God. This altar is open TO YOU.
48:53YIELD NOT TO temptation
48:56>> for yielding is sin. Hear this. EACH
48:59VICTORY, IF YOU CAN WIN ONE VICTORY
49:02TODAY, EACH victory will help you some
49:06other to win. Fight veilently onward.
49:11Dark passions subdue. Look ever to Jesus
49:15for he'll carry you through. Ask the
49:19Savior to help you.
49:23THERE IS SOMEBODY IN HERE WHO NEEDS TO
49:26STOP TRYING LIKE YOU CAN DO IT ON YOUR
49:27OWN AND RUN TO THE ALTAR. COME TO THE
49:30CROSS. LOOK AT THE BLEEDING SIDE.
49:32HALLELUJAH. OF THE CRUCIFIED ONE AND
49:35SAY, "HELP ME WITH THIS BURDEN that I
49:38can't bear by myself." Hallelujah. Ask
49:41the savior to help you. Oh, glory.
49:43Hallelujah. Sh.
49:47Yes. Yes. Some other
49:51hallelujah. Yes, Lord. Come on. Come on.
49:54Come on.
49:56Yes.
50:00Hey, God. Thank you. Yeah, God, thank
50:03you. Thank you.
50:06Yeah, God, thank you. Hallelujah.
50:11>> To Jesus.
50:13>> He'll carry you through.
50:14>> He will carry you through.
50:18>> Hallelujah.
50:19>> Oh yes. Ask
50:21>> ask the Savior to
50:25help you.
50:26>> Ask him. comfort strengthen and ask him.
50:32Ask him
50:34is to
50:37you.
50:38>> Ask him.
50:39>> He will carry you through. Ask him. Oh
50:44yes.
50:45>> Y not too tempted
50:51for
50:53yield it is.
50:56Woo! Each victory will help you
51:04some
51:05other to win.
51:09>> Yes.
51:11>> Valently onward.
51:15>> Oh yes.
51:18>> Passions subdue.
51:21Oh,
51:24gather to Jesus
51:27for he
51:28>> he will carry you through.
51:32>> Somebody ask him
51:34>> ask the savior to help you
51:40comfort, strengthen and keep
51:44you.
51:46He is willing to
51:50you.
51:51>> Yes. And he
51:52>> he will carry you through.
51:56>> Sean evil companions.
51:58>> Sean
51:59evil companions.
52:03>> Bad language.
52:04>> Bad language. This day.
52:10God's name holding
52:15>> to take it in vain
52:16>> nor take it in.
52:22>> Be
52:23thoughtful and earnest.
52:27>> Oh yes.
52:30>> And true.
52:32>> Look to Jesus.
52:34>> Look
52:36to Jesus.
52:37>> Hallelujah.
52:39carry you through.
52:40>> He will carry you through.
52:44>> Somebody say, "Ask the Savior."
52:46>> Ask the Savior to help you.
52:53>> Strengthen and keep you.
52:58>> He is willing to
53:03>> and he'll carry through.
53:04>> He will carry you through.
53:07>> Verse three.
53:09To him at our
53:14>> God giveth a crown.
53:15>> God giveth the crown.
53:19>> Through faith we'll conquer.
53:21>> Through faith we will coner.
53:26So offen cast
53:28of cast
53:34who is our
53:37>> hallelujah
53:40strength will renew.
53:42>> Look after the Jesus.
53:44>> Look
53:47to Jesus
53:50and he will carry you through the
53:54savior.
53:56Ask the Savior to help you
54:03strengthen and keep
54:06you.
54:08>> He is willing to
54:12you.
54:12>> He'll carry you through.
54:13>> He will carry you through.
54:17>> First one last time to him.
54:19>> To him.
54:24God giveth the crown.
54:25>> God giveth the crown.
54:29>> Through faith we will conquer.
54:31>> Through
54:32faith we will
54:36often
54:39cast down.
54:41>> He is our savior.
54:43Who is our
54:49strength with you? Look ever to Jesus.
54:54>> Look
54:56to Jesus.
54:58>> He'll carry you through.
54:59>> He will carry you through.
55:03>> Sing this two more times. Ask a savior.
55:05>> Ask theavior to help you.
55:09>> Just come and ask
55:15you. Oh, he willing to wait you.
55:22>> He will carry you through.
55:25>> Let's sing it again. Ask a savior.
55:28>> Askavior
55:30to help you,
55:33comfort, strengthen, and keep you.
55:39He is willing to
55:43you. Oh yes. He will carry him.
55:47>> One last time. Ask him.
55:50>> Ask the savior to help you.
55:57Strengthen and keep you.
56:01>> His will to
56:05you
56:06>> and he will carry you through.
56:13If we can just turn this altar into a
56:15place of prayer,
56:17>> this entire sanctuary into a place of
56:18prayer.
56:20>> Maybe you didn't come to the altar.
56:22>> But today, you need to ask him to help
56:24you.
56:26>> You alone know. Ha. Ha.
56:29>> You alone know what's going on in your
56:31heart.
56:32>> Ask him to help you today. Come on.
56:35>> Ask him to help you.
56:37>> This song has been ministering to me all
56:39this week. Ask the savior to help you.
56:43>> Ask him. Let's pray. Father
56:46>> in the name of Jesus. Hallelujah.
56:50Thank you for your availability.
56:53Who am I?
56:57That a king should bleed and die for?
56:59Who are we that you should pray not my
57:03will but thine be done? The answer is we
57:07may never know. We don't know why you'll
57:10commit yourself to fighting all our
57:13battles until they're all won. Ah, God,
57:16thank you.
57:17>> But today, we come to you with reckless
57:19abandon. We come to you with humble
57:21hearts. We come with broken spirits. We
57:25come with contrition. We come with faith
57:27in your name and in your word. We refuse
57:31to allow distractions
57:33to keep us out of the will of God, out
57:36of the way of God, out of the work of
57:39God. Today, Lord, prompt every heart
57:42this morning to ask you in humility.
57:45Hallelujah. Hallelujah. To ask you for
57:49your help, to ask you for your strength.
57:52For you are willing to help every one of
57:53us. You're willing to succur and to
57:56help. Your word says that we ought to
57:58come boldly before the throne of grace
58:01that we may find strength, grace to help
58:04in the time of need. Lord, this is an
58:07hour of need for every child of God that
58:10has walked to the altar and even those
58:12that are in their seats this day. So, as
58:14the voices are crying out, as the hearts
58:17are reaching out to you, Lord, by the
58:19strength of your power, the sheer might
58:21of the Holy Ghost, fill somebody up.
58:24Fill somebody again. renew and restore
58:26the joy. Hallelujah. Hallelujah.
58:30>> That we may be able to do the work
58:32you've called us to do to serve you
58:34faithfully in this life and to wait for
58:37the coming of the Lord. Do it now we
58:39pray as we surrender and surren submit
58:41ourselves to you again in the name of
58:43Jesus we pray. And God, as we get ready
58:46to go from this house today, I pray the
58:48word of God will linger in our hearts
58:50and in our spirits and in our minds in
58:53the name of Jesus. Give us victory this
58:57week. Give us overcoming power this
58:59week. That which got us out of the loop
59:01last week, give us power to overcome it
59:04this week that we may do the WILL OF GOD
59:07IN THE NAME OF JESUS.
59:09>> In the name of Jesus we pray. In Jesus's
59:13name, bring us safely home. We ask today
59:15in the name of the Lord. Hallelujah.
59:17Hallelujah. If you will lift those right
59:20hands all across this building. If you
59:22lift those right hands across this
59:24building. Hallelujah. As you go through
59:27this week, tell yourself, I won't come
59:29down. I refuse to go down there.
59:32Hallelujah. I refuse. I refuse. I
59:35refuse. In the name and by the power of
59:38the Lord, I refuse to come down.
59:42The Lord bless you and keep you.
59:45>> Lord, make his face shine upon you.
59:47>> Hallelujah.
59:48>> And be gracious unto you.
59:50>> The Lord lift up his countenance upon
59:52you and give you peace. Peace. Peace. Go
59:56home in the peace of the Lord. We love
59:59you in the Lord. Look forward to seeing
60:01you tomorrow at our great
60:06>> enjoyable exciting day of picnic. our
60:10family church family picnic. Let's be
60:12there. Let's have some fun together. God
60:15bless you.