take your Bibles and go to Nehemiah chapter 6 if you would please. Nehemiah chapter 6. As you know we are continuing our series through the book of Nehemiah. So we want to cover chapter 6. We are pretty much going through chapter by chapter. If you haven't noticed to this point in time I've entitled the message, a great work, a great work. And of course we find those words here in chapter six. Someone has said, and I think it's true, that the greatest business in all the world is God's business. The greatest business in all the world is God's business. And there's also something that is really to take note of, and that is the fact that when you do something directly for God, He takes special note of that. and we'll see that as we move through the scriptures here. It's one thing to work for yourself and do to the glory of God, but God is very pleased when you actually are involved in His work to further His work of reaching the world to Himself. I want to really go through this chapter, and I trust this book is being used to really equip us for the task at hand. It's interesting to note, I believe, that as we study the book, that we have recurring themes. We are going to be discussing some things here this morning that we have touched on in prior messages. And that's because as you travel through Ezra and Nehemiah and Esther, these themes keep coming up and keep coming up. You know, when God says something one time, it ought to be enough. But we ought to take special note when he keeps giving us different scenarios that really essentially teach the same lesson. He's trying to equip us. He's trying to warn us. He's trying to strengthen us for what lies ahead. Nehemiah handles one problem and immediately another surfaces, just like you'll find the Christian life. How many times have you gone through something and say, well, I can't wait till this trial is over. I can't wait till this valley experience is done. And about the time you climb up out of that, you go into another aspect of spiritual warfare. And that's what life is. The Bible says here in Job chapter five and verse seven, yet man is born unto trouble as the sparks fly upward. Now, I know people say, well, that sure is a downer way to start a message, telling us how much trouble we're going to have to face. But really, because of the inference of sin into the world, it's a fact of life that we have to contend with. We fight on several fronts. And of course, we know as far as mankind is concerned, there's the body, there's the soul, and there's the spirit. And so the devil tries to attack us in all those areas. He tries to keep the spirit of man in darkness. And that's why the Bible talks about having their eyes, or those that are unsaved, their eyes are blinded. And then, of course, we know that there's a battle for the mind, and then there's the indwelling presence of sin in the flesh that we have to contend with. And that's all a fact of life. And so the Lord gives us in His Word and through the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit, if you're saved, the power, the ability to live a victorious life in every single one of those areas. But our key is, is to get in the Word of God, find out those things that God has given us and then claim it by faith and live accordingly in that victory. Ecclesiastes chapter two, Verses 22 and 23 says this, and of course Solomon is the penman here. He says, for what hath man of all his labor, and of the vexation of his heart, wherein he hath labored under the sun? For all his days are sorrows, and his travail grief. Yea, his heart taketh not rest in the night, this is also vanity. And then when you get to the end of the book of Ecclesiastes, he tells us what the whole duty of man is, and that is to fear God and keep his commandments. That is really the pathway to continual victory in Jesus Christ. Now, when we look at chapter six of the book of Nehemiah, I've got it outlined this way. The first 11 verses of scripture, we have the conspiracy. And then from verses 12 to 14, I've entitled it, The Comprehension. And then in verses 15 to 19, we have The Completion. And so we're gonna go through these particular aspects of this outline, just point by point. Let's look first of all, as we read the first 11 verses of Scripture, and let's notice the conspiracy that's at hand. The Bible here says in Nehemiah chapter six, verse one, now it came to pass when Sanballat, and Tobiah, and Geshem the Arabian, and the rest of our enemies, heard that I had builted the wall and that there was no breach left therein, though at that time I had not set up the doors upon the gates, that Sanballat and Geshem sent unto me, saying, Come, let us meet together in some one of the villages in the plain of Ono. But they thought to do me mischief. And I sent messengers unto them saying, I am doing a great work so that I cannot come down. Why should the work cease while I leave it and come down to you? Yet they sent unto me four times after this sort, and I answered them after the same manner. Then sent Sanballat his servant unto me in like manner the fifth time with an open letter in his hand, wherein was written, It is reported among the heathen, and Gashmu saith it, that thou and the Jews think to rebel, for which cause thou buildest a wall, that thou mayest be their king according to these words. Thou hast also appointed prophets to preach of thee at Jerusalem, saying, There is a king in Judah, and now shall it be reported to the king according to these words. Come now, therefore, and let us take counsel together. Then I sent unto him, saying, There are no such things done as thou sayest, but thou faintest them out of thine own heart. For they all made us afraid, saying, Their hands shall be weakened from the work that it be not done. Now therefore, O God, strengthen my hands. Afterward I came into the house of Shemaiah, the son of Leah, the son of Mehetabiel, who was shut up, and he said, Let us meet together in the house of God wherein the temple, and let us shut the doors of the temple. For they will come to slay thee, yea, in the night will they come to slay thee. And I said, should such a man as I flee, and who is there that, being as I am, would go into the temple to save his life, I will not go in. And lo, I perceived that God had not sent him, but that he pronounced this prophecy against me, for Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him. Therefore was he hired, that I should be afraid, and do so, and sin, and that they might have matter for an evil report, that they might reproach me. My God, think thou upon Tobiah and Sanballat, according to these their works, and on the prophetess Nodiah, and the rest of the prophets that would have put me in fear. We have various tools in the first 11 verses of Scripture that I just read. I know I read through verse 14. But in the first 11 verses of Scripture, we have the various tools that Sanballat, Geshem, and Tobiah, as well as the Bible here says in verse 1, the enemy. So even though these three seem to be the chief antagonist towards Nehemiah and the Jewish people from rebuilding the walls and establishing and reestablishing the city gates. We find here that there were other enemies as well. There were other cohorts that were jumping on the bandwagon to try to hinder the work of God. And so we see that there's tools that we see being used here in this passage that the devil also used in our personal lives. And so when we look at these passages of scripture, as I keep saying, as we are in these history books of the Old Testament, I think we need to try to find these things out and apply them to us today, not just look at it from a historical point of view. First of all, I want us to see how that the devil will use distractions in our life to keep us from serving God and accomplishing his great work in our lives. Look at verse two if you would. It says, that Sanballat and Geshem sent it to me saying, come, let us meet together in some one of the villages in the plain of Ono, but they thought to do me mischief. Now I say this, many a Christian fails to serve God because they simply get distracted. And I want us to, as we move through these tools that the devil uses, I don't think there's always a conscious decision that we make. to get sidetracked, to stop serving God. In fact, most Christians at most of the times of their life, if asked about serving God, they would say, yes, I want to serve God. Yes, I'm trying to serve God. I may not be doing everything right, but I'm not against him. And yet we find that many are missing out on a fullness of the Christian life as well as accomplishing what God has for them because they just simply get distracted. And it's not something they say, I wanna get distracted, it just they get distracted. I was thinking about this and I'm gonna just use their first names. I have a friend of mine and his name is Terry, first name is Terry. I just happened to touch base with him, oh, probably about eight months ago. And we were talking about his life. I can remember he was from Chattanooga, Tennessee. When I was going to Tennessee Temple, I met him as one of my brothers-in-law was a song leader at Calvary Baptist Church there in Chattanooga. And I met Terry and he went off to Bible college feeling that he was called to preach. But he got involved in business. He started a couple of businesses and began to be quite successful in those. But those businesses sort of consumed him and it required him to be very active in there to where People were dependent upon him as the head of that business to take care of the matters at hand. I don't wanna go too much in detail what his line of work is. And at the same time, you would talk to Terry and he'd say, I'm gonna be a pastor one day. God's called me to preach and I'm gonna do this and I'm gonna do that. And year after year, after year, after year, after year, it went to where over 25 years went by and he was so entangled in business that he never really got into the ministry that God had called him to. What happened? He got distracted. And it wasn't that he didn't keep going to church, he stayed in church, he tithed, he gave the faith promise missions, he gives the faith promise missions, he tries to be active in telling people about Jesus Christ, but ultimately he's not doing what God called him to do. I was thinking about another man who now is in heaven, he and his wife, both. They died prematurely. He used to be the voice of the radio broadcast, the voice of revival that was headed up by the soul of the Lord and John R. Rice and on many radio stations in the South. And he was the spokesman for that broadcast. And I can remember he went into evangelism and he said, he got into a multi-level marketing company and he set a record, he and his wife did, to achieving the highest position that that company afforded in the shortest amount of time. He got the car, he got the trips, he, you know, got all into the publications and even hit the local newspapers and so on and so forth. And I remember Steve told me, he says, you know, Mike, I look forward to the day where as I'm gonna be preaching in churches, as God called me to evangelism, he also was president of his class in Bible college. And so he says, I look forward to going to the smaller churches They can't really afford to have a missionary come in or a evangelist come in, and I want to encourage them. And when they hand me the love offering check, I want to be able to just flip that check over, endorse it, and give it right back to them because I'm going to be financially independent. But what happened was, is he got so tied in with business, and he started doing some things unethically, and then the law came down on him, and he never made it into the ministry. He had gotten distracted, and then the devil took advantage of that distraction. Even though he went into it with the greatest of motives, he had gotten his eyes off of the ultimate goal that God had for his life. you and I have to be careful of distractions. And what we find here happening with Nehemiah, he has been burdened by God in chapter one, remember, and he has been given the letters of authority by the king, our exercise to go to Jerusalem and to rebuild the walls. And from the time he hit town, we find that the enemies of the Lord were trying to distract him to hinder the rebuilding of the walls of the city of Jerusalem. And so you and I have to be alert even to the subtleties that the devil will send our way to get us distracted from completing the task that God has for our life. Be very, very careful when you feel the impression and you feel the call of God upon your life or a particular task, for you then to set that aside, for you to allow other things to cause you to fear and get into a situation where you get involved here and you get involved there to where you cannot pursue the complete will of God for your life. Be careful of distractions. Number two, I see this tool that the devil uses. He used it here. He continues to use it as you look at different accounts in the Word of God, and he uses it today. And the potential to be used in your life is great. And that is persistent attacks. persistent attacks. What I mean by that is, sometimes we get tired in the battle. We get tired in the struggle. Here, let's look at verse four, if you would, please. It says these words, it says, yet they sent it to me four times after this sort, and I answered them after the same manner. And so then he comes in the next verse of Scripture and says, they came a fifth time carrying an open letter. Second Timothy chapter two and verse three, we memorize this, it says, and I mentioned at the beginning of the message, thou therefore endure hardness as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. And in Galatians chapter six, verse nine, the scripture says this, and let us, now notice he's writing to local New Testament churches. He's writing to several churches there in Asia Minor. He's writing there, if you go to modern day Turkey, towards the center and then towards the west side, those are the churches of Galatia. And he's writing these words, and let us, Not be weary in well-doing. Notice he's including himself in this. Here's the great Apostle Paul. He says, you know, sometimes you do get tired in the work of God. There are certain struggles and battles and there's a element of spiritual strength that leaves you as you serve the Lord Jesus Christ. But it says, let us not be weary in well-doing for in due season we shall reap if we faint not. That means if we don't quit. If we don't stop, it says, we shall reap, we will bring in the harvest. A pastor told me years ago, he preached in this pulpit. And he says, Mike, he said, you know, one of the churches I went to, he said, I pastored there for a number of years and I encountered some difficulties in the ministry. Some people turned on me and I just got tired of the battle and I got tired of always having to fuss and fight with people. He says, I went ahead and resigned and I took another church. And he says, then after a while, I took another church and When he was here, he was pastoring a church and God was blessing, but he told me, he says, you know, he said, I never should have left that first church. I've regretted it ever since. I let some things get to me that I shouldn't let get to me. I got weary in the battle. I got tired. And so I let my feeling of tiredness and frustration get the best of me. You and I have to take note of these kinds of situations that may come our way. Nehemiah says, no, I'm not going. Then they came again. He says, no, I'm not going. And then he came again. No, I'm not going. No, I'm not going. No, I'm not going. And after a while, many of us, after we get hit the first time and the second time and the third time, we say, just forget it. I give up, I quit. We can't give up. We can't quit. Nehemiah says, I can't quit. God is doing a great work. I am doing a great work as serving the Lord, rebuilding these city walls, hanging these gates that have been burned with fire back into place to provide a protection for the altar and the worship and the heart of the nation of Israel. So sometimes the devil will use those persistent attacks, just coming, and you just get hit once, and get hit twice, and they just keep coming. And that's why it ought to drive us to the Savior. It may mean that you need to take extra time and just lick your wounds, so to speak, humanly speaking, and just have God minister to you. But that's exactly what you need to do. But don't give up, don't quit, don't allow the devil to distract you. Don't allow the persistent attacks to hinder you from pressing on for what God has for your life. I also see this, number three, that sometimes the devil will use pure intimidation. Look at verse five. Then sent Sanballat, his servant, unto me in like manner the fifth time with an open letter in his hand. The significance of the open letter, Has anybody ever given you, and you don't have to raise your hand, but has anybody ever given you a letter to give to someone else? There's that temptation. Do I take it to the stove and put the kettle on and try to open that thing so I can read it? Or do I hold it up to the light and see if I can see through it to see exactly what's going on? There's that tendency. If you are given something like that, you wanna read it. And that's exactly what Sanballat was trying to do. He tried to intimidate by letting others read the letter, as well as Nehemiah, when he received it, he would be intimidated by it. He's gonna, what does he say? He says, wherein was written, verse six, it is reported among the heathen, and Gashmu saith it, that thou and the Jews think to rebel. Well, you know, Nehemiah, we have the first five chapters here, and we know that Nehemiah was not seeking to rebel. We know that he was burdened for his people, shared that burden with the king, and the king gave him letters of authority and an escort to go to Jerusalem and get the job done. They were in no way, shape or form seeking to rebel. But that's what the enemy of the Lord was trying to do. He was trying to intimidate. And sometimes the devil will come to you and the vessels and instruments that he uses. Romans chapter six and seven, he will try to send people your way. Galatians chapter six, where he says, who are for, where he says, who hath hindered you? You see, you did run well, who hath hindered you? And so there are many times the devil will use a who to try to hinder you and try to intimidate you in regards to fulfilling the will of God for your life. I don't think anybody here at this particular juncture would know who I'm talking about. But I remember in the ministry here, I sat at a kitchen table and there was a husband and a wife and another man sitting at the table. And they began to say some things about what we were doing here and they were attacking what I was doing and they were giving some false charges in regards to what we were doing. They were saying that I was looking at the giving records and all this kind of stuff, which I've never done. And I've never counted a single offering. But they were saying this, and I said, that's a bold-faced lie. And so I can remember Brother Gary can attest to this. I took my phone, and I called him. He was in Ontario at the time. And I said, well, you know very well that there was another man in that particular conversation. And I laid that phone there on the table. Gary was on the phone and he verified the truth. But that person went on the internet and began to spread this out of the other. And they began to say some things to me. And I said, I can't back down from this because I'm not guilty of it. And so this is not a sermon to try to justify myself. What I'm trying to get across here is they were trying to intimidate us in a particular matter. And so you just might as well mark it down that as you try to serve the Lord Jesus Christ, the devil will use all kinds of things to come at you. He'll try intimidation, he'll try distraction, he'll try the persistent attacks, and boy, he'll try to get you to stop doing what God's called you to do. How many times have we got up in this pulpit through the 30 years and said, folks, no matter what happens, Our mission, what God has asked us to do in fulfilling the Great Commission is still the same. And what we need to do is we need to love God and we need to love people and keep doing right and let God take care of all the clamor around us. We've said that many, many times. And that's the constant message that we have to keep saying. Because it remains true, we can't allow the enemies of the Lord, no matter how sincere they think they may be, we can't allow them to keep us from fulfilling the will of God for our lives. No matter the direction or the personalities that the devil uses or the flesh rises up and uses and they allow themselves to be used in that way, you and I are still under the obligation to fulfill the will of God for our lives. Then I also see this, the antidote for fear, which that is what intimidation is, they try to put fear in you. The antidote, of course, is 2 Timothy chapter one in verse seven, for God hath not given us the spirit of fear, but of power, love, and a sound mind, amen? So when you are feeling that intimidation from doing right, to try to keep you from doing right, then you need to understand that is of the devil, that's not of God. When you are so gripped by fear that you can't fulfill what God expects and wants you to do, that's not of God. And you say, well, what do you mean that's the antidote? Yes, God, looking at Jesus. the author and finisher of our faith. And you need to lean on him, amen? And so we need to understand that, that intimidation is a tool. I see this as a fourth tool that the devil sometimes uses in our lives. And that is in verses 11 and 12, I say the conspiracies and the lies that are told. Now look at verse 11 and 12. The Bible here says, And I said, Should such a man as I flee? And who is there that, being as I am, would go into the temple to save his life? I will not go in. And lo, I perceive that God had not sent him, but that he pronounced this prophecy against me, for Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him. Now folks, this is coming from a priest. This intimidation, this conspiracy, this lie was given from a so-called man of God. And you and I have to understand that there are conspiracies out there in regards to people fulfilling the will of God for their life. Let me give you a definition of conspiracy. Here's what the dictionary says. It's an evil, unlawful, treacherous, surreptitious plan, that surreptitious means secret plan, formulated in secret by two or more persons. It's also called a plot. In other words, some will use other supposed good Christians to do their dirty work. And you and I have to be alert to that. And that's why we must deal in truth all the time. Take your Bibles, if you would, as a case in point. And let's go to Acts chapter eight. Excuse me, Acts six. Acts six. And this, of course, is the account here as we begin the account of Stephen. And I want to begin reading here in verse eight, just down to verse 15. And Stephen, of faith and power," this is Acts chapter 6 verse 8, "'did great wonders and miracles among the people. Then there arose certain of the synagogue,' which is called the synagogue of the Libertines, and Cyrenians, and Alexandrians, and of them of Cilicia and of Asia, disputing with Stephen. and they were not able to resist the wisdom and the spirit by which he spake. Then they suborned men, which said, we have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses and against God." That word suborned means that they actually convince people, convince men to lie. So they conspired, they actually got men to lie against Stephen. And that's how low down some people will get to try to get their agenda fulfilled. And you and I cannot be ignorant of that. It says these words here in verse 12, and they stirred up the people. And that's what they do. Those that will rise up in your midst, those wolves that will circle the flock, they'll try to stir people up to do their dirty work. And the elders and the scribes and came upon him and caught him and brought him to the council. And look at verse 13, and set up false witnesses which said, this man seethest not to speak blasphemous words against this holy place and the law. There was no truth to it. But you see what happened? You see that people began to believe the lie. And it says, for we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth shall destroy this place and shall change the customs which Moses delivered us. And all that sat in the council, looking steadfastly on him, saw his face as it had been the face of an angel." Speaking, of course, of Stephen, the first recorded martyr we see here in the New Testament church. We've got to recognize the enemy and his tactics. I want to just reference a couple of passages of scripture here. In Ephesians chapter 6, we have the armor of God that's being referenced here. After Galatians comes Ephesians, and I want to just read verse 11 here of Ephesians 6, if you're taking notes. It says, put on the whole armor of God that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil." That's the tricks of the devil. You know, when you are tricked into something, it usually means that you have fallen for a false belief. You are tricked. And so what happens is the devil, we need to understand, in our lives is constantly trying to trick us, trying to, if you don't mind me saying this, trip us up. He's trying to get us to fall, get us to sin, get us to quit doing what God wants us to do. Take your Bibles down, go to 2 Corinthians 2. 2 Corinthians 2. And here I'll just read one verse of scripture as well. He says, and he's talking about this matter of forgiveness. And he says in verse 11, lest Satan should get an advantage of us for we are not ignorant of his devices. And so that's one of the powers that we derive as we get into the Word of God. God gives us, through the illumination of the Holy Spirit in us, He will make the Bible mean something to us. He'll point out those passages of Scripture that will equip us to identify falsehood, that will identify those individuals that are seeking to sidetrack us, distract us. from fulfilling the will of God for our life. And so we see how important it is to understand the conspiracy that's against every believer by the devil himself. And he does not play fair. He doesn't play fair. And sometimes we think that if we do this and this, that the devil's going to do this and this, and he's the one that throws the curve ball into our lives. And that's why we constantly need to be in fellowship with the Lord so that we can identify the falsehood when it presents itself. Here, let's go back to our text. and see here in Nehemiah chapter six, the comprehension. I wanna read verses 12 to 14 once again. He says these, and lo, I perceive that God had not sent him, but that he pronounced this prophecy against me, for Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him. Very, very interesting here, isn't it? It didn't say that somebody came and said, hey, he's telling a lie. There was a perception. What is that perception? That was God giving him the wisdom needed to identify the falsehood and say, something's not right here. And you and I need to pay attention to those hesitations that God puts in our spirit. Therefore was he hired that I should be afraid and do so and sin, and that they might have matter for an evil report, that they might reproach me." See folks, that's one of the things when I mentioned here about the constant attacks. See what happens many times with the constant attacks, that tool that the devil uses, he gets us finally to say, I am fed up to here, I'm done, this is it, this is the land, he crossed that line, forget it. And that's what he tries to do. He tries to get us to sin, and then the enemies of the Lord gloat. Because now we're guilty about something. And see, beforehand we were walking in our integrity. And we need to understand that principle found here in the Word of God. And that's why right away as we see that Nehemiah is a man of prayer, verse 14, my God, he's praying. Think thou upon Tobiah and Sanballat according to these their works." In other words, hey, turn that over to God. Just say, God, you're gonna have to deal with these enemies. He said, but I'm not coming down off this wall. I'm not gonna stop doing what you called me to do. And he says, and on the prophet, a prophetess, Nodiah and the rest of the prophets that would have put me in fear. You notice it says they would have put him in fear if he never did operate in fear. Amen. So we appreciate that. And so the comprehension, I say this, we see the value of living in fellowship with God and making decisions based upon the known will of God, not situations, not feelings, not intimidations. And throughout this process, God gave Nehemiah that insight. And that's what we need to understand, that God will give you insight as well as a believer as you lean on Him. Take your Bibles as a proof positive of this and go to 1 Kings 3. 1 Kings 3, you know this account as a student of the Word of God. This is where Solomon, he's just a young man, He's been elevated to be the king. And we find that he says, I don't know. I'm so young. He says to God, I don't know whether to come in or go out. He says, I don't know how to lead this great nation. I need wisdom. And God said, okay, I appreciate the fact that you weren't seeking riches and long life and all this. And so because you were asking wisdom so that you could do my work, I'm gonna give you the wisdom you need, but I'm also gonna grant the other things that most people would ask for. And so God gave that to him. I wanna just go right on up to verse 16, if you would. Verse 16 of our text, 1 Kings 3. Now this is interesting to me because you see, Solomon prayed, God gave wisdom, and right away, it's tested. Right away, a situation comes up. that is putting Him to the test. And we find here that God had given Him the wisdom needed. Excuse me, verse 16, then came there two women, that were harlots, unto the king, and stood before him. And the one woman said, O my Lord, I and this woman dwell in one house, and I was delivered of a child with her in the house. And it came to pass the third day after that I was delivered, that this woman was delivered also, and we were together. There was no stranger with us in the house, save we two in the house. And this woman's child died in the night because she overlaid it. That simply means she rolled over and suffocated that child while she was sleeping. And she arose at midnight and took my son from beside me while thine handmaid slept and laid it in her bosom and laid her dead child in my bosom. And when I rose in the morning to give my child suck, behold, it was dead. But when I considered it in the morning, because she could then see, behold, it was not my son which I did bear. Understand, we have lights, we have night lights, they didn't have that, okay? And it says, and the other woman said, nay, but the living is my son and the dead is thy son. And this said, no, but the dead is thy son and the living is my son. Thus they spake before the king. I mean, can you imagine? Now, we have the account of Scripture. We know how this ends. But Solomon didn't have that. He's still as young as he was when he asked for wisdom. And so here he is, he's asked, and God says, I've given you the wisdom that you need. If any man lacks wisdom, James 1, 5, let him ask of God who giveth all men liberally and upbraideth not. That's a promise for us. That's New Testament Christianity, amen? We can ask for wisdom and he'll give it to us. When you ask God for wisdom, believe he gives it to you. because He says so in His Word, amen? And so here we find, here Solomon asked for wisdom, God gave it to him. Then he's got these two women here, he doesn't know them from Adam or Eve. And here they are, they're standing there before him. She's got her story, she's got her story. How in the world does he make a judgment call on that? God gave wisdom. Look what it says here. In verse 23, then said the king, the one saith, this is my son that liveth, and thy son is the dead. And the other saith, nay, but thy son is the dead, and my son is the living. And the king said, bring me a sword. And they brought a sword before the king. Now in our modern day pansy-laced kind of Christianity, boy, the people would be all up in arms against Solomon. What's he think he's doing? But here God had given him wisdom and he says here, he says, bring me a sword before the king. And the king said, divide the living child in two. and give half to the one and half to the other. What kind of wisdom is that? You know, like kill the one that's living? That made no sense at all. Many times as you seek to exercise the wisdom that God gives you in a particular matter, you'll know what God's doing, but no one else may. They have to wait to the final result. But here we find Solomon had no, he had no plan at all to kill that living child. But he figured this, look what it says. Then spake the woman whose the living child was unto the king. For her bowels yearned upon her son, and she said, oh my Lord, give her the living child, and in no wise slay it. But the other said, let it be neither mine nor thine, but divide it. Then the king answered and said, give her the living child, and in no wise slay it, she is the mother thereof. And all Israel heard of the judgment which the king had judged, and they feared the king, for they saw that the wisdom of God was in him to do judgment. Oh my. What an account, amen? What an account. God gave Solomon wisdom. God will give you the wisdom you need to fulfill the will of God for your life, amen? Now we see here, number three, the completion. So we have the conspiracy, we have the comprehension, and now we see the completion. If you'll look at Nehemiah chapter six, verses 15 to the end of the chapter, verse 19. So the wall was finished. Isn't that good? Here we just ran through three quarters of the message here. And what are we doing? We're just talking about all that Nehemiah has to contend with, all the conspiracies that are out there, all the hindrances, all the intimidations, all the constant attacks. And you know, they came from within, they came from without. And so here he says, so the wall was finished in the 25th day of the month, Elul, in 52 days. Now, if you're looking at the Jewish calendar, this would be, we just actually passed that here in our calendar, this would have been sort of the end of August, first part of September, that time of year. Which is an interesting fact as well, is that this building program took place at the hottest time of the year for the Jews. And so we find that it's just interesting that, you know, there were so many reasons for people to say, I don't wanna build. I don't wanna do this. I don't wanna go through with this. This is inconvenient. And yet it says, in 52 days they finished. And it came to pass, verse 16, that when all our enemies heard thereof, and all the heathen that were about us saw these things, they were much cast down in their own eyes. Now look at this phrase. for they perceived that this work was wrought of our God." They did not praise Nehemiah. They didn't praise the others that were working on the walls and hanging the gates in place. They were praising God. They said, look at this. God has done this for them. And that's what we need to make sure that we are doing whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might, the scripture says, to his honor and glory. It says, whether therefore you eat or drink or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God. And what does the Bible say in Matthew chapter five? It says, let your light so shine before men that they may, what? See your good works and glorify your Father, which is in heaven. You know, they may not do it in this life, but I guarantee you in the next life, when they stand before God, they'll give God glory. And it says here, moreover, in those days, verse 17, the nobles of Judah sent many letters into Tobiah, and the letters of Tobiah came unto them. For there were many in Judah sworn unto him, because he was the son-in-law of Shekiniah, the son of Irah, and his son, Johanan, had taken the daughter of Meshulam, the son of Berechiah. So here, when we look at the completion, it's imperative, I say, that we finish the work that God has called us to do. Say, Pastor, you keep saying that, what is the work that God has called me to do? I can't answer that. That's for you to find out. And that's where you have to find out the will of God for your life. You say, how do you find that out? You go to God. Well, I was thinking that there was something more to this. No, you go to God in the sincerity and sincerity, as well as the determination that, hey, as Jacob said, I am not gonna let you go until you bless me. And what we need to do is say, Lord, I wanna do your will for my life. What is your will? And I'm not gonna let you go until you tell me. And it may mean days, and it may be weeks, and it may be months, and it may be even some years where you're just crying out, God help me. And you keep doing the will of God now. I always say this, you go to sleep in the will of God today, and you'll wake up in the will of God tomorrow. 1 Thessalonians chapter five and verse 24 says, faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it. Philippians 1.6, being confident of this very thing, that he which has begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ. My friend, God's work is a great work. Don't minimize what you do for Christ. Don't minimize, you say, well, I'm not really in front of people, but I'm helping here, and I'm helping there, and I'm witnessing here, and I'm witnessing there. If that's the will of God for your life, that's the greatest work you could ever do, and you'll get the same reward as the one that has his name in print. Well done, thou good and faithful servant. Amen? That's so good. Let me close with this account. And you may have heard of the missionary C.T. Studd. He was born about in 1860 and died in 1931, I believe. He actually served on four continents on the mission field. He served in China, he served in Africa, he served in India, and he served in Europe. The last place that he served, we believe, is really in Africa. And he went there after the age of 50. And he was looking for some sponsorship and he couldn't find a sponsorship because a doctor wouldn't give him clearance to go to Africa. But he felt so compelled by the Lord to go to Africa as a missionary, and so that's what he did. He just set out and went anyway. His wife Priscilla stayed behind to help raise money as well as take care of family and ministry responsibilities on the England side. And you know, he wrote this particular poem. He was a famous cricket player. And in fact, if you would look at the history now, he's mentioned there as one of the best cricket players that England produced. He also came from a family of wealth. And it's interesting that when he decided to go to the mission field, that when he received part of his inheritance, he gave it away because he didn't want to have anything that would hinder him from fulfilling the will of God for his life. He still had a little nest egg that would be coming to him. And when he got married, he decided that he would take the remaining money and that he would buy his wife some nice things and make life a little bit simpler for her. And it's interesting, the account says that she actually looked at him and said, what did God tell you to do with your inheritance? And so he explained it to her and she said, I'm with you. And so we'll serve God together. And so what he did is he gave his money, I think, to two organizations, one being the Salvation Army and so on, when it was more straight than it is today. But you see, it's so interesting how that he was willing to give up everything so that he could serve God with his life. He's known for a particular saying. He's known for only one life will soon be passed. Only what's done for Christ will last. God's work is a great work. But you know, that's only a couple of phrases from a poem that he wrote. Here's the poem in its entirety. Two little lines I heard one day, traveling along life's busy way, bringing conviction to my heart, and from my mind would not depart. Only one life will soon be passed. Only what's done for Christ will last. Only one life, yes, only one. Soon will its fleeting hours be done. Then, in that day, my Lord to meet. And stand before His judgment seat. Only one life will soon be passed. Only what's done for Christ will last. Only one life, the still small voice, gently pleads for a better choice. Bidding me selfish aims to leave and to God's holy will to cleave. Only one life, it will soon be past. Only what's done for Christ will last. Only one life, a few brief years. each with its burdens, hopes, and fears, each with its clays I must fulfill, living for self or in His will. Only one life will soon be passed. Only what's done for Christ will last. When this bright world would tempt me sore, when Satan would a victory score, when self would seek to have its way, Then help me, Lord, with joy to say, only one life will soon be passed. Only what's done for Christ will last. Give me, Father, a purpose deep in joy or sorrow, thy word to keep. Faithful and true, whate'er the strife, pleasing thee in my daily life. Only one life will soon be passed. Only what's done for Christ will last. Oh, let my love with fervor burn, and from the world now let me turn. living for Thee and Thee alone, bringing Thee pleasure on Thy throne. Only one life will soon be passed. Only what's done for Christ will last. Only one life. Yes, only one. Now let me say, thy will be done. And when at last I'll hear the call, I know I'll say, t'was worth it all. Only one life, t'will soon be past. Only what's done for Christ will last. Only one life will soon be passed. Only what's done for Christ will last. And when I am dying, how happy I'll be if the lamp of my life has been burned out for thee.