Well, we are, as far as I can remember, in part nine or study nine of Nehemiah. Nehemiah, the rebuilding and the revival that we, the Church of Jesus Christ, needs today. I'm not going to multiply words by going back over and over and over the whole purpose, other than to say Jerusalem can be pictured as the center of worship, or it can be pictured as the worship of your own heart. and you can take it personally, you can take it corporately and you can take it nationally. The walls are down, the gates are off the hinges and they're burned and the enemy is having a field day and the work of God makes one step forward and two steps back. And I don't know, I think there's a dance called, that's called the two-step, all right? I don't know more than that. And so, the enemy is destroyed. Yes, there's a sense of worship, the temple has been built, but it's been halted, and it's been prevented from being all that it ought to be. And so, Nehemiah came along, he heard the news, his heart was broken, and he He was moved by God, he went into a season of prayer, and God worked on his heart, and he came to the place where he was the instrumental in the rebuilding of the walls and the resetting of the gates. I've made the point over and over again, you could picture it... John, would you mind closing that door down there? Yeah, you could picture it as... you could picture it as... If you picture the thing, you can picture it as our church, you know, we're doing the best we can. Or you can picture it as the church in general. Maybe not get so personal with Abbots Cross because I think sometimes we can too hard on ourselves. But you can picture it as the church in general. where everybody's struggling, and there's discouragement, disheartenment, the enemy's getting in, but there's people there, and it'll only take some one individual to be gripped by God. And Nehemiah came to a city where, to a large extent, there was nothing happening. And once he came after having sought the Lord for those months, it seems as if this army stood up and sprung up all of a sudden. We don't really know how, but we know this, that as he went around the city, he inspired people, he encouraged people. I suppose you would probably get further in the work of God by encouraging and inspiring rather than rebuking and condemning, wouldn't you? But why is it that we think that rebuking and condemning always works? Why do we not encourage each other more? As I often say, you never know what battle an individual might be fighting at home. And perhaps they're discouraged enough with the stuff that's happening at home without us adding to it. And so, whatever it seems to me, that it only took one man, as we used to sing in the early days, it only takes the spark to get the fire going. Remember that song? And it only took this spark, and his name was Nehemiah. And he sought the Lord, he's come back, he's seen answer to prayer, he's said over and over again, the hand of my God was on me, and he's come in to start the work. I'm not going to read all of chapter three, but I'm going to go into chapter three, and there are five verses that I want to read to you. They're scattered throughout the chapter. And we're looking at these four individuals. whose names mean something, and they challenge us as to the meaning of their name, and it's the meaning of their name that I'm gonna emphasize as we think about the walls and the gates. The first verse in Nehemiah chapter three is verse 10. When Sanballat, sorry, in verse 10 of chapter three, and next unto them repaired Jediah, the son of Harumath, even over against his house. That's the phrase. Even over against his house. And next unto him repaired Hathosh, the son of Hashabniah. Then verse 23 of Nehemiah chapter three. After him repaired Benjamin and Hashab over against their house. After him repaired Azariah, the son of Messiah, the son of Ananiah, by his house. Verse 28, from above the horse gate repaired the priests, every one over against his house. Verse 29, after them repaired Zadok, the son of Emer, over against his house. After him repaired also the son of the keeper of the east gate in verse thirty. After him repaired the son of and the sixth son of another piece. After him repaired the son of over against his not a house this time, his Amen, and we trust that the Lord will bless that reading of his word to all of our hearts. When we came into chapter three, while we were sailing along, we were getting on nicely, and we thought there wasn't so much in this chapter that we really had to take three studies to get ourselves out of it. But the more we delved in, the more we discovered this hidden in God's word that we'd glance over. We've looked at the people in the work. I'll give you the headings. their commission. They were put to the work. God had initiated. This was something that was in the heart of God. There was cooperation. Remember we talked about unity and harmony? There's a difference between unity and harmony. People can be together in one room working for the one thing but not all agreeing on it. But they're still working towards the one goal. But then we talked about harmony. People can be singing the same song, but you could be singing in one tune, and you could be singing in another tune, like we did, like Sunday past. But whenever people's in harmony, boy, there's the real tune. There's a sense that the real music of God comes, and there's a heart of harmony and unity. Not only a kind of struggling together, but in harmony together. Everybody looking to the work of others, not onto his own thing. And then there was courage because they fought with a sword in their hand and a trowel in the other hand. And there was accusation and incrimination. Sometimes in the work of God, it takes courage to stand up for Jesus. It takes courage to stand up for Jesus in the workplace, doesn't it? It takes courage to stand up against that wayward teenager who wants his own head. And sometimes we, as parents, find ourselves dancing around rice paper because in case they would throw another tantrum and we end up more upset. You understand what I'm saying, don't you? And sometimes it takes courage. I'm only talking about the home, by the way. Sometimes, even within the church setting, to do the right thing, even though you know the people aren't going to fully understand what you're doing, it takes courage. It takes courage to stand up in school, to be different, to not go with the flow. Any old fool can go with the flow. It takes people of real courage to stand up, stand up for Jesus. Now, not only that, but there was connection. There was people from all over Jerusalem came together. They were not only working for their own little patch. They're not you in your small corner and I in mine. No, these people are looking out for their brothers in other parts of the community. And there was the coordination. That was down to Nehemiah. Nehemiah had sought the Lord, the Lord had placed the plan on his heart, and Nehemiah got to work. And God's work done in God's way never lacks what? God's supply. And we often think of that in financial issues. But oftentimes, you know, when the poor old preacher, he says, when am I going to preach on Sunday? You have no idea the battles that can be done in the heart. It's all right coming on a Sunday and hearing the good message, but what I tell you, you've no idea, there's no preacher here tonight, and you know exactly what I'm talking about. What is the right message? What does God want to say? Maybe in the organization, Sharon, and Jackie, in the girls' brigade, in the boys' brigade, or the youth club, or the youth fellowship, whatever organization you're in, to know what God wants to say. And you're doing a battle in your heart because the enemy wants you to say one thing. Remember when I came here first. I would pray over every message that I was going to give, and then, I'm going to go with that message. And then, half an hour later, no, I'm going to go with that message. And then a half an hour later, no, I'm going to go with that. Never do this! And then a half an hour later, no, I'm going to go with that. And I said, you know what? The devil's leading me in that merry old dance. I always go to what God puts in my heart initially, because I know that the devil plays with my mind too. Coordination. So we looked at the people in the work and then we looked at the pattern of the work. Remember we put up a little photograph and we went around the gates anti-clockwise starting at the sheet gate. There was a pattern. It wasn't all through. No, God's house, it wasn't all through other. God's house is a house of order. Everything in order. It's not mayhem and disarray and it ought not to be mayhem and disarray. And it can't be the tail wagging the dog either. It has to be as God lays out. God's work done God's way. God is a pattern and God is a plan. Now, you probably think, I'm starting Christmas messages on Sunday morning, isn't that great? You know I'm the most reluctant of all preachers to start preaching on Christmas too early. I've been gripped by Galatians chapter four and verse four, and we're going to spend four messages. Now, I'm not here the second Sunday in December. I'm here this first Sunday, so I'm doing two messages, morning and evening, on Galatians four, in the fullness of time. Oh, what a phrase. What was that? God working according to time? The Lord who's the Lord of eternity, who doesn't dwell in time, but who exists in eternity, and that he would step down into time, into our realm, into our situation, into our circumstances to do what? You'll have to come on Sunday and find out. But God is a God of order. He has everything. The Bible talks so much about that fact. And so there was the pattern. Well, do you remember the song, where do I begin to tell the story of how great, was it, you remember that one? You ever sing that to each other? Well, there's the people of the work, there's the pattern of the work, and there's the place where the work begins. The place where the work begins. When it comes to each individual responsibility, we have to first begin to remend the broken things that's in our own lives. Judgment begins in the house of God. And the way I see it, I know that we're all coming from a fallen nature, and we're all coming from the fall, and I know all of that, and we're all redeemed people. Once we were sinners, but now we're saved, and I know that we've all got the maladies that are left within us. Until we get to glory, we're gonna be fighting a battle, isn't that right? And most often, I hope that you're winning, but the odd occasion we might lose, but listen, There are elements of our lives, and if they're still broken, we can't help others fix them if we can't fix ourselves. Or there's things that we can't see fixed until they're fixed in our own lives. The place to begin, the work of the Lord, must start at home here in my own heart, and then in my own home. And if it's not fixed in my heart, and it's not fixed in my home, then I'm a hypocrite to try and get others to live what I'm not living at home. Are you with me? And what a difference it would make if the things that we're going to look at tonight would make in all the spheres of the work of any church let alone this church, if the things that are broken in our own hearts and the things that are broken in our own homes were fixed and mended. So today, tonight, we're going to be building up the broken down walls that possibly are in our own hearts and in our own homes. Judgment must begin at Jerusalem. Do you remember the old pattern that they gave at the early church? Begin at Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and the uttermost parts of the earth. And we take that to mean evangelism, and it can powerfully be applied in that particular aspect. But Jerusalem can be my own heart. Then Judea, my own home. And then in my own fellowship, before I even think of going to China or anywhere else. The Christian is no stronger, sorry, the Christian church is no stronger than the Christian home. And it cannot be any stronger than the Christian home. And society is only as strong as the Christian home. So we're going to challenge ourselves. And I said to you on Sunday, this is not going to be easy on us. But nevertheless, if we learn a few things tonight, then I'm going to tell you, we will be greatly benefited. If you take the message from this meeting and take it to those that should be here tonight, Although I have to say, thank you for coming tonight. Some of you made a special effort. I appreciate that. And I often don't thank you enough for that. You've made a good effort and I appreciate that. But if we take the message and at least give a little abbreviation of what we heard tonight, I think it'll do our church the world of good. By the way, if we're going to pray for revival, which I hope and pray that we are, the first place that's going to be hit there from what I have said so far is going to be the home, the Christian home. You see, we want the revival to hit the church, don't we? Well, if we're to hit the church, it has to hit their own heart. It has to hit their own home. It has to hit the things that are broken in my house. Otherwise, I'm a hypocrite. Now, names in the Bible mean a lot. Yahweh, or Jehovah as we've made it out to be, the one who was, the one who is, and the one who ever shall be, the covenant-keeping El Shaddai, all-sufficient, enough God, the God is enough for every and any situation that you might face. Jehovah. Joshua means savior or salvation. Jacob means that old fox or supplanter or literally it means thief. Well, there's some names here and they mean something as well. Notice the first 10 then, Judea. It only took me 15 minutes for the introduction. Isn't that brilliant? There's Judea. Here he goes. Judea is an invoker of God or someone, to put it into our language, a man of prayer. Or as the old school used to say, a prayer warrior. That's who he was. Notice they were building his house against the other house. So they were working together and here's the prayer warrior working alongside the next man who was a protector, Benjamin. prayer warrior. One who was able to invoke God because of the faith that was in his heart and the one who believed God against all the circumstances and no matter what happened in his home, no matter what happened in his church, no matter what happened in his community, here's a man, the prayer warrior I mean. He's the man that will invoke God. He'll bring God into every situation. Getting on his knees before God is the very first thing that he'll think about when his home or his house or his family or his church or his people get into trouble. He's an invoker of God. He has the natural propensity and the natural desire to seek the Lord. But what do we do? We throw a hissy fit. We go to the insurance company. We'll go to the counselor, we'll go to someone next door who'll listen to our gossip, but we'll not go on our knees before God. What a friend we have in Jesus, all our sins and griefs to bear, what a privilege to carry, what? Everything. But do we carry everything to God in prayer? Do we? I ask my own heart this, and I have to be honest and tell you, it is an area that I struggle with the amount of things that you have to attend to, to have time. Sometimes I'm thankful for a sleepless night. where I can cover things in prayer, where I wouldn't normally have the time to do. But I ask my own heart, are the walls of my prayer life broken down? Tell me, do we have a consistent daily prayer life? Or is our prayers, let me put it another way, are my prayers contained only to ingrown toenails and sore backs? Am I really getting to grips with the need of my church, my home, my children, or my family? Or is it, Lord, will you bless Josie? Lord, will you bless John? Amen. Is that as far as they go? If our prayer meetings are a reflection of our spiritual prayer lives, we're in bad shape. And by the way, I'm not trying to chase you out on a Friday night to the prayer meeting. I'm talking about at home. Do you gather your children around you? When they come into the house, are you embarrassed? Would you be embarrassed to bring your children with you and say, listen, let's pray for that situation. Let's pray for that relationship problem. even if they're not saved. So what? You continue to be whom God, be the high priest men, be the high priest fathers in your house, because you'll answer for it. Am I leading by example? I can remember right up until Gregory was, no Darren, was 17. We prayed together. I wish, whenever they come to the house, we'll have a little time of prayer. We'll give thanks around the table, whatever. But what I am saying is, are our children seeing the example? And I wish parents were here tonight. And this is why I wanted to preach on a Sunday morning. Because there's no point coming running to the pastor when your child is a wayward, and they're going the way of the devil, when you haven't showed the example at home. Not but mind you, I want to caution here. You probably have done everything you can. Do not let the devil make you feel guilty when you've done everything you can. And by the way, if you haven't done everything you can, don't be sitting there in guilt either, but just confess to the Lord, I wish I had done better, but let me do it from now on. I'm a father and I'm a grandfather and I'm going to start now. Start now. What happens when trouble enters our homes? What do we do? Do we go to prayer? Do we go to God? I can remember Sammy Workman in a wee place called Rock Curry that you know nothing about. It was the first time I heard that man of God, and he was a man of God. I loved Sammy Workman to bits. I loved him because he was, to me, kind of the first rung in my spiritual ladder. Remember I'm saying one night, if you want to, and I don't say that to endear you, by the way. Remember I'm saying one night in a meeting, if you want to see the popularity of the church, go on a Sunday morning. If you want to see the popularity of the preacher, go on a Sunday evening. And if you want to see the popularity of God, go where? You all heard it, haven't you? But I would probably change that slightly. If you want to see the popularity of God, gauge the prayer life. Today I was an invoker of God and he's busy away building up the walls and he's resetting the gates. He's working next to the next man who's working away with his heart doing what he has to do, building together to make that place a safe haven, a haven of rest. We'll go to verse 23. Benjamin, verse 23. After him appeared Benjamin. What is Benjamin? Who does Benjamin mean? He's the son of my right hand. The sense is the one that's there for help, or the one who's there who can help and protect me. Oh this is, you could preach a sermon on this one alone. Benjamin the son of protection building up his wall. How's this wall of protection in your house? Or in mine? Isaiah 62 verses 6 and 7, Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel. Therefore, hear a word from my mouth and give them warning from me. Ezekiel 33 verse 7 says, I will stand my watch and set myself on the rampart and watch. Watch. Fathers, are you a watchman in your house? Mothers, are you watchwomen in your house? These both went in upon their watch to watch in case the danger was coming to the home. What danger? Well, in the context, the approaching enemy that would take their belongings, kill their children, steal their possessions. Can I ask you, what's the greatest possession that we, as the children of God, have? Our children. our children. What's the approaching enemy into our homes? Illicitness. The filth of the world. Obscenity. Indecency. Perversion. Coming right into our homes through the internet and mobile phones. TV. radio, mobile phones. The young couple are allowed to be up in her or his bedroom unsupervised. And now they go off on holiday unsupervised. We'll not get up to anything daddy, no we'll not get up to anything mommy. Nonsense. and it's happening as if it's natural and it's normal. Just a few short years ago, I was in Dublin Street in Monaghan, and it is only a few short years ago, and I was listening, I was in the shop, I couldn't help but hear, as a better way, because I didn't want to hear the rubbish that was coming on the radio, but there was a song, and it had the F word, And I was so insulted. I was going to write a letter to whoever wrote the song. Now it's every other word. Alice Cooper actually came out with a song some years ago, Try The Suicide Solution, and people who went to his concert, Alice was a man by the way, people who went to his concert actually went out and committed suicide after the live concert. And there was another song, and we're all grown-ups here, I hope, And there was another song, Making Love to a Corpse, sung by someone else. And graves were open that night and corpses tampered with. Now our homes are flooded with all sorts of infidelity, immorality, idolatry into our home. The place that's supposed to be safe and sacred has now become a polluted cesspit. And we live in a bubble, and we don't know what's happening. I never, ever watch Celebrity Love Island. I never ever watched Big Brother. Because you know what they're waiting for to happen in one of those programs, don't you know? I'm not going to spell it out to you if you don't already know. I would never take my children or my grandchildren to see Harry Potter. And there's a whole host of so-called children's programs that are new age. And what's been happening is that our children are being pre-programmed to accept this as normal, and we, the watchmen who are out of sync and out of tune, Spiritually, because we don't know the difference between right and wrong anymore, let alone the difference between right and right. And so our homes are being polluted, our children are being destroyed, and one preacher said it's just like this, it's like taking our children and offering them on the fire to the God of Melech. We'll bring them to see Harry Potter. We'll not bring them to a prayer meeting. What do we think they're going to learn? We'll take them at eight and nine o'clock to a movie, but the half six evening service is too late for them. Where's the watchman? And then parents come crying. Where did it go wrong? Now again, I want to caution, because I have counseled more parents, where did it go wrong? And the devil uses that reverse. You've heard me talk about this before. Train up a child in the way he shall. And when he is old, he shall not. And the devil beats the life of the poor Christians who have trained their children up in the way they should go. Just remember this. You are rearing children who have a sinful nature. And unless, and you can do all you like, you can lead a horse to the water, but you can't make him drink. And sometimes through strong Christian homes, children may give you the appearance that they are Christians and they hang on to the mother's apron strings. And then when they go to university, I wish I'd never let them go to university. The real them came out when they went to university. And this is why in our prayer meetings, we need to be praying, God, get a grip of my son. God, get a grip of my daughter. We should, rather than get a good education, oh God, educate them in the Spirit. You know, the Spirit of God can do more in a moment in their hearts. than a Sunday school teacher. Poor old beleaguered Sunday school teachers and those in Stepping Stones and Tiny Steps and Garesby Gate and Boyesby Gate and the organizations, Youth Club and Youth Fellowship, trying to instill where in a moment God can do so much if they're reared in an atmosphere of the spirit activity and then invoking God, please God, without being legalistic and overbearing upon our children, provoking them to wrath? Would that happen in your house? The Bible has a lot to say about provoking children to wrath. So playing upon their attitude, so playing upon their character that you bring the worst out of them rather than the best out of them because you're bad tempered. or you're impatient, or you're always criticizing them. Esther went to, it was a Parenting Plus course, and it was for, to be someone to help would-be potential foster parents. And she went to an extended course where things that you should or shouldn't say to children You should never tell a child they're bad. You should tell a child they're doing bad things. And it was all to do with words that you used to your children. Can I expand that a wee bit? What kind of prayerful attitude and what kind of a character characteristics that we approach young people with when we're seeking to correct them and instruct them in the things of God. I went, I used to be in Larne Mission Hall, and I was horrified one day when one of the young fellows who was now in his middle 20s, he says, my mother used to tell me that if I didn't read a God book on Sunday, he'd kill me. Do you know all you're doing if you do that? Do you know all that you're doing? You're teaching your children that God's a hater. He hates you. And the devil doesn't need to do any more because you've done your best, or the worst. Let me read you this reverse and you'll find it in Deuteronomy 33. The beloved of the Lord, Benjamin. shall dwell in safety by him, and the Lord shall cover him all the day long, and he shall dwell between his shoulders. I love that verse. There's a young fella, Andrew, comes to the church. He actually won four gold medals in the Commonwealth. Did you know that? We didn't even, we didn't even, we didn't even, what is it? We didn't congratulate him, did we? Maybe we'll do that yet. Well, wait, there's his mommy there. Didn't even know you were there. How did you know he's a mummy? No, no, your friend is his mummy. That's right. Phew! Phew! Maybe we need a DNA test. You see the shoulders and all, boy? And I have big hands now, I really, we see this through, we see the big, have you got a big hand? Ah, you're only a wee small puny hand. I got hands on me like spades, and I always like to try and cover his hand, because I know my hand's quite bigger than his, but I want to tell you, I'm quite glad when he's finished shaking hands with me. You know what I mean, don't you? He's a weightlifter. You ever see some of these weightlifters that have shoulders on them? Boy, imagine being safe between the shoulder blades of Almighty God. It's like Benjamin. We are to be like Benjamin, where they're safe. There are thousands of Christians who've lost their integrity in the business life, the social life, the spiritual life, their morality, their decency and respect and their testimony, because the walls of protection are down. Let me go on to the next one, because I have more to say on that one. And by the way, don't think your child's innocent. Never think the wee Johnny's the only one that's ever in step. Verse 29, we have zedok. We've already abroached upon this. Zedok means justice or integrity. How's the wall of integrity in our lives, your life, mine? Do people say of us you can't be trusted? They couldn't believe a word he says. I remember doing business with him a couple of years back and boy, it was very shady dealing indeed. Men, women, what about your marriage vows? Is there someone or has there been someone that you preferred more than your partner? Is there a next door neighbor and you spent more time talking to them than you do to your partner, your wife, your husband? Do you value someone's company more than your loved one? Can you be trusted at work? Will you put in a 40-hour week, pay 100 pence in the pound? Integrity. What about repeating stuff that's only half true? Are you honest with your friendships and about your friendships? Do you keep confidences that are shared with you? What about your vows to God? You promised you'd love Him, serve Him, honor Him. You promised God you'd love your wife. integrity. That's another sermon I'll let you think about. Verse 29, sorry, have I mixed myself up here? Verse 30, sorry, also with Zadok, the father Emmer means talkative, talkative. I've heard someone recently say that, and I think this verse is 29, I don't remember, Zadok, the son of Emmer, talkative. I've heard someone say recently that women generally speaking are generally speaking. That's not fair. Talkativeness is a problem, isn't it? Especially among God's people. This is probably not a wall that needs to be built. Maybe it's one that we need to knock down. Being brutally honest, there's more harm done within church fellowships over gossip than virtually any other sin in the church. There's no greater weapon, says James, in the hands of a Christian, and it's in his mouth. And it's his tongue. What do we talk about at home? Who do we talk about at home? Who are we criticizing? What do we criticize? Talkative. Are those amongst tonight that tear down people but never build them up? Have you no words? Ah, think again. Words flow apace when you complain and fill your fellow creature's ear with the sad tale of all you hear. were half the breath thus vainly spent, to heaven in supplication sent, our cheerful song would oftener be, hear what the Lord has done for me. If we prayed about everyone instead of gossiping about everyone, that would be a great place to start. And by the way, about 75% of the gossip that's said, I hear it. Because there's always somebody glad to come back and repeat it. And the last one, verse 30, because our time's gone, Mishulam. Mishulam. He's the boy that had a chamber. What does his name mean? Nothing. There's no real meaning for this man. You're probably saying, well, none of these names apply to me. I'm not talkative. I'm quite just. My integrity's intact. I feel the protection of my home is fine. I am an invoker of God. I do pray. Maybe not enough, but at least I try my best. Well, here's one for you, Michellam. This man lived in a one-bedroom apartment called his chamber. Not just his house, a wee chamber. He seems to me to have been a humble wee man, an ordinary wee working-class man, a five-eighth gentleman who felt insignificant in the whole ramifications of the cycle of the universe. He wasn't a big hitter. Maybe he had an extremely small part to play, but he was playing his small part. He was a little man that lived in a little house that was just as important as those who were building the walls of protection and invocation. Now here's where your challenge comes, dear 6th, 8th Christian like myself. Are you devoted to the work of the Lord? Deacons? They get an awful lot of flack and bad press and they don't deserve it, folks. They don't deserve it. And if you are complaining and criticizing them, you're doing the devil's work. The Lord has blessed this man, Barakai, and it doesn't have to be a big home for God to bless it. It can be a little home. Maybe his home is very small because he's given away most of his money to the Lord's work. We don't know that. Are we as members devoted to the work of God. Do we want notoriety? Do we want to be noticed? Interesting that this man was included as part of the work. and God took record of it and saw it as very important. Let me close with this wee verse. Jesus said it to the church in Sardis. Be watchful and strengthen the things that remain, that are ready today, for I have not found thy works perfect before God. You see those wee dying embers that were once your strengths and pillars of your testimony? Build them up again. Cause them to arise. Because without it, revival's not going to come. Let's pray together in prayer, let's pray. Lord, you've challenged us greatly in your word tonight. You've caused us to think much about our own walk with God. We believe, Lord, this is the very heart of revival when God works in the home and in our own hearts. Bless, Lord, we pray, the people of God, as we meditate, as we contemplate your word to our hearts this evening in Christ's name.