It is so good to be back here with you once again. Our family did have a restful time on vacation, and I am so grateful to both Tim Parker and Craig Shigio for being faithful and preaching God's Word to you and for you, all for God's glory. And I must admit that when I listened to these messages, when I looked at the outlines, that God really got my attention to the point that I almost changed today's sermon. So next week we're going to take a detour out of our series And we're going to be coming from Mark chapter 4 verses 1 through 20, talking about the parable of the sower. The reason is, is when you look at 1st John, and that message, God's identity shapes our lifestyle. And then Psalms 1, that there are two ways to live. I believe there's a capstone message that God wants us to hear. And I believe that's going to be coming out of Mark 4. So next week we're going to take a little detour into Mark 4. But for today, we are continuing our series, A People Assembled by God, coming out of the book Ezra Nehemiah. And so if you have your Bibles with you, I invite you to please stand if you are able and turn with me to Nehemiah chapter 4. We'll be coming out of Nehemiah chapter 4 verses 15 through 23 on the Red Pew Bibles or Chair Bibles, whatever we're calling them. It's on page 470. Nehemiah chapter 4 verses 15 through 23. When our enemies heard that it was known to us and that God had frustrated their plan, we all returned to the wall, each to his work. From that day on, Half of my servants worked on construction and half held the spears, shields, bows, and coats of mail. And the leader stood behind the whole house of Judah who were building on the wall. Those who carry burdens were loaded in such a way that each labored on the work with one hand and held his weapon with the other. And each of the builders had his sword strapped at his side while he built. The man who sounded the trumpet was beside me. And I said to the nobles and to the officials and to the rest of the people, the work is great and widely spread and we are separated on the wall far from one another. In the place where you hear the sound of the trumpet, rally to us there. Our God will fight for us. So we labored at the work, and half of them held the spears from the break of dawn until the stars came out. I also said to the people at that time, let every man and his servant pass the night within Jerusalem, that they may be a guard for us by night and may labor by day. So neither I nor my brothers nor my servants nor the men of the guard who followed me, none of us took off our clothes. Each kept his weapon at his right hand. Let's pray. Father we thank You for Your Word and we pray that You would speak to us from Your Word. God we pray that Your Word will have its desired effect, Your desired effect upon us, to the end that we understand it and that we obey it, God. May we not be hearers only of the Word, but may we be doers, may we obediently do what You call us to do in Your Word. For You are God and we are not. We are Your people, the sheep of Your pasture. Grant us clarity of thought, clarity of speech on this day for your glory alone, in Jesus' name, amen. You may be seated. As you see in your bulletin, and also in the email that was sent to you this week, the title of this message comes directly out of our text today. Our God will fight for us. The three points of this message, I believe, the first is God's activity informs our activity, found in verse 15. Secondly, we stand ready to fight while working, found in verses 16 through 20. And finally, we remain diligent in the fight, in verses 21 through 23. The key point of this message, of this text, if you will, is God assembles his people to work and fight for his glory according to their or our God-given roles and dependence on him. God assembles his people to work and fight for his glory according to their and our God-given roles and dependence on him. As I was preparing this message, Not because of the trip we just took this past week, but as I was preparing this message, a song in the animated version of Mulan came to mind. We went to Orlando this week. Here's the song, A Girl Worth Fighting For. Do you know it? Some of you do, some of you don't, it's okay. Guys, it's a great movie, it's a great song. Anyway, a girl worth fighting for. Here's the issue, or here's the situation. As the unit was marching off to battle, complaining about the things that they're experiencing, that they were experiencing, to get their minds off of their current circumstances, each of Mulan's main friends begin to describe the girls they say are worth fighting for. In a nutshell, they described girls who will accept them just as they are. Applying that to our relationship with God, He knows everything there is to know about us. And surprisingly, He still accepts us just as we are. Every imperfection. Every thought, both hidden and expressed, every action, all the good, all the bad, God sees and He knows it all. Yet in Christ He still accepts us just as we are. The Bible says in Ephesians chapter 1 beginning with verse 3, Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love He predestined us for adoption to Himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of His will, to the praise of His glorious grace, with which He has blessed us in the Beloved. In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace, which He lavished upon us in all wisdom and insight. making known to us the mystery of his will according to his purpose which he set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time to unite all things in him things in heaven and things on earth in him we have obtained an inheritance having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory in him you also when you heard the word of truth the gospel of your salvation and believed in him were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it to the praise of his glory this is what God has done to make us his people He has glorified himself through Jesus and the gospel, choosing us in love, predestining us for adoption to himself as full-fledged children with every right belonging to those in such a relationship, forgiving our sins, lavishing his grace upon us with full knowledge of how wretched and how completely lost in sin we are apart from Jesus. He has sealed us with the Holy Spirit, securing us for Himself for all eternity. He has done all of this to the praise of His glory. And so, here's a question. Do we see God and His glory worth fighting for? Without a doubt and without hesitation, Nehemiah and the builders would answer yes to this question. For you remember in verse 14 that Nehemiah called the people to not be afraid of their enemies, but to remember the Lord who was great and awesome and fight for your brothers, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your homes. And in our text today, We see the actions of Nehemiah and the people demonstrate their belief that God and His glory are worth fighting for. Our first point begins to speak to this truth. God's activity informs our activities. Right there in verse 15. When our enemies heard that it was known to us and that God had frustrated their plan, we all returned to the wall, each to his work. Right away we see that God frustrated the plan of stopping the work of rebuilding the wall and gates that was hatched by the enemies of his people. And as a result, the people went back to the work of rebuilding the wall and the gates. This tells us that the change of calling from building to protection that we saw three weeks ago in chapter 4 verses 1 through 14 was actually in addition to God's call on the lives of his people. It's like that standard line in job descriptions and any other duties as assigned. Thus God's calling became a call to build and to fight. It's a both and, not an either or type of a calling. We're going to spend more time on that truth as we work through the text. But for now, when reading verse 15, some questions come to mind. How did the enemies hear that the people knew their plan? How did the enemies know God had frustrated their plan? How did God's people hear about the plot? And how did God frustrate the plan of his enemies? Well, to answer the questions of how did the enemies hear that God's people knew their plan and how did God's people hear about the plot, we simply look at the actions of both parties recorded in the previous verses. In verses 2 and 3, Sanballat and his ignorance, or his arrogance, as well as that of his sidekick, Tobiah, was on full display in their loud public taunting of the Jews. God's people heard them, prayed about them, and kept building the wall. Next, all of the neighbors surrounding Judah held a public summit to plot together about fighting against Jerusalem and causing confusion among God's people in order to stop the work of rebuilding. They started working their plan by instigating, discouraging rumors among the people. We see those things in verses 7 and 8 and in verses 10 and 11. And then in verse 12, we see that the arrogant public summit by these enemies was seen by the Jews who lived near them. And even though the response of those particular Jews was misguided, Their words and actions alerted Nehemiah and the other leaders to pray, to take defensive positions and call the people to remember who God is and to depend on him as they continue to work. We see these things in verses 8 and 13 and 14. Thus it was the actions of God's people that alerted their enemies that their plan was known by the Jews. But how did the enemies know that God has frustrated their plan? Well, we do see in previous verses that God's people openly prayed to God concerning the actions and words of their enemies. Surely such activity was also seen by Sam Ballett and his crew. However, just a little peek ahead at chapter 6 verse 17 provides more light on the situation. It's recorded there. Moreover, in those days the nobles of Judah sent many letters to Tobiah, and Tobiah's letters came to them." We have to remember that Tobiah was the secretary or chief assistant of Samballot. Therefore, he was in regular contact with his contemporaries. Plus, according to chapter 6 verse 18, he was a relative of prominent Jews living in Judah. And within the abundance of written correspondence between these relatives, Tobiah was informed that Nehemiah took his cues from God and he in turn pointed God's people to remember and depend on him. So surely Tobiah, as the faithful sidekick that he was, told Sanballat all of the things he heard about Nehemiah and his leadership of God's people. So knowing all this, it makes perfect sense that the enemies of God's people would conclude that God had frustrated their plan. Moreover, we see that it was through the obedience of his people, both their remembrance and their dependence on him, that God frustrated the plan of their enemies. Also notice here in this little verse here, that each person return to their assigned work. We all return to the wall, each to his work. This return to their assigned work only happened because of the activity of God and frustrating the plan of his enemies to stop the work of glorifying him. You see, it's a biblical fact, family, that every activity of God's people is precipitated by the activity of God. We work because he has worked. This foundational truth of Christianity is seen most vividly in Ephesians chapter 2 beginning with verse 1. And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience, among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath. like the rest of mankind but God being rich in mercy because of the great love with which he loved us even when we were dead in our trespasses made us alive together with Christ by grace you have been saved and he raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus for by grace you have been saved through faith and this is not your own doing it is the gift of God not a result of works so that no one may boast for we are his workmanship created in Christ Jesus for good works which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them We engage in the good works God prepared for us to do because he has made us his people in Christ Jesus. The lifestyle we live as Christians, we live because God by grace alone has made us his people in Christ through the gospel. God's activity informs our activity. And each of us, each of us has an important role to play in the work of God, glorifying himself through us. And according to Ephesians 4, 16, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love. You see, we become healthier. We grow in our health as God's people when each of us obediently do our God-given work, demonstrating that we know that we affirm and that we submit to his rightful authority over us as sovereign creator. You see, this is an ongoing process. It's not a one-and-done decision. In our text, The return to their assigned work by the builder speaks not only to being triggered by God's activity, but also to the change of God's call upon his people. We see these things clearly in our next point. We stand ready to fight while working. It's right here in verses 16 through 20. From that day on, half of my servants worked on construction and half held the spears, shields, bows, and coats of mail. And the leaders stood behind the whole house of Judah who were building on the wall. Those who carried burdens were loaded in such a way that each labored on the work with one hand and held his weapon with the other. And each of the builders had his sword strapped at his side while he built. The man who sounded the trumpet was beside me. And I said to the nobles and to the officials and to the rest of the people, the work is great and widely spread and we are separated on the wall far from one another. In the place where you hear the sound of the trumpet, rally to us there. Our God will fight for us. This phrase, from that day on, indicates that a new practice had become the norm. Earlier, we began to talk about the modification to the initial call to rebuild the wall. We noted that the call became a both-and rather than an either-or type of a call. And these verses clearly indicate a work-fight call had become the normal practice. But the phrase, from that day on, not only speaks to a new practice becoming the norm, but it also speaks to an alertness that goes side by side with the new practice. You see, God's people must always be ready to fight for God's glory. We know this is true from our text and from this series because Nehemiah chapter 1 verse 9 tells us that God assembles his people to bring them to the place that he has chosen to make his name dwell there. And then in chapter 4 verse 14, Nehemiah tells God's people again, do not be afraid of them, your enemies, remember the Lord. Who was great and awesome and fight for your brothers your sons your daughters your wives and your homes Everything had changed because God had frustrated the plan of the Jews enemies and his Activity made the people stand ready to fight while working Even the minor officials under the direct authority of Nehemiah had their practice redefined by Nehemiah, for the governor said, half of my servants worked on construction and half held the spears, shields, bows, and coats of mail. The statement leaves no doubt that while some of Nehemiah's servants were assigned to the specific task of building the original call, Others were assigned to the specific task of carrying offensive weapons and defensive armor, the new addition to the call. This latter assignment uses the language of warfare, for the shield was carried by the spearmen to defend themselves in close combat, and the breastplate or coat of mail was used against an attack by archers. And we have seen from our text that Nehemiah clearly saw the attacks of their enemies as a war against God's glory and assault on making God known in the land. We should also note that it is possible when Nehemiah said, my servants, it was because he was governor of Judah and because he was the one who gave the people God's command. and considering this possibility we must be equally clear that Nehemiah was in no way on a power trip nor did he have control issues he simply recognized that God had called his people to work and fight and God expect his people to obey his command so Nehemiah called the people my servants I've spoken before, and perhaps you remember, of a personal pet peeve I have of people taking the wrong type of personal ownership of God's people or flock. Not from a sense of belonging, but more so from a sense of lordship. They use phrases like, my team. my ministry, my members, with the attitude that they are the ones who direct the affairs of the groups that they're referring to. Again, it's an issue of lordship. You see, lordship has rights over that which he or she lords or owns. Now to be clear, I think it's absolutely biblical to refer to the local global church to which we belong as my church, or our church, or the church that we are a part of, or the church that we are members of in the sense of belonging. For we need one another. For the Bible says in 1 Corinthians chapter 12, beginning with verse 12, for just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. For in one spirit we were all baptized into one body, Jews or Greeks, slaves or free, and all were made to drink of one spirit. For the body does not consist of one member, but of many. If the foot should say, because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body, that would not make it any less a part of the body. And if the ear should say, because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body, that would not make it any less a part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would be the sense of hearing? If the whole body were an ear, where would be the sense of smell? But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as He chose. If all were a single member, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, yet one body. The eye cannot say to the hand, I have no need of you. Nor again the head to the feet, I have no need of you. On the contrary, the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable. And on those parts of the body that we think less honorable, we bestow the greater honor. And our unpresentable parts are treated with greater modesty, which our more presentable parts do not require. But God has so composed the body, giving greater honor to the part that lacked it, that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another. If one member suffers, all suffer together. If one member is honored, we all rejoice together. Family, we need one another. There's no such thing as a lone ranger Christian. Some of us may act like it, but we're living a lie. We need each other. Some say, if you want something done right, do it yourself. You know how tired you would get if you kept on doing that in the church? Family, we need each other. Think about it. If you get a pain in your left shoulder, what do you do? You just kind of like stop hurting, stop hurting, stop. You just talk to it or you're like, ow. Another part of the body comes to the rescue. It's the same in the church. When the body hurts, we come to the rescue. Also, we are called by God as followers of Jesus Christ to glorify God by loving one another. For Jesus says in John chapter 13, verses 34, 35, a new commandment I give to you. that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this, all people will know that you are my disciples if you have love for one another. And note that Jesus doesn't tell us to love one another only when we are lovable or only when we are healthy. You see, I think genuine love is demonstrated most effectively when we're unlovable. and when we're unhealthy. Oh, I know I'm in Bible country, you know why? For God so loved the world that he gave his only son that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. I love when John talks about the world. You guys, he's not talking about just planet Earth. When the apostle John talks about the world, he's talking about that group of people that system that is adamantly opposed to God and everything that represents God. He's talking about us apart from Jesus. He's talking about those who are dead set on opposing God. And he says, for God so loved the world. that he gave his only son. God so loved the unlovable, the unhealthy, that he gave his only son, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life. Paul gets on it on this. He says, God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Moreover, this is why we gather regularly together. It's why we are assembled by God. For the writer to the Hebrews writes in chapter 10 verses 24 and 25, and let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together as is the habit of some. but encouraging one another and all the more as you see the day drawing nearer family all of these things speak to god's both and call upon his people to work fight for his glory i know you're asking well how so how's this well each of these things are god given works for his people to walk in and when we do them god is glorified Some of us like to work as individuals again in our own particular ministry area without interaction with other members of the body. That's not God's design. We must fight against such individualistic tendencies. Some of us have a problem loving the unlovable and unhealthy members of our body. We must fight against only loving those who act or are lovable and healthy. when we do those works of cooperative ministry and lifestyle and loving one another God is glorified now when we read in our text in verses 16b through 18 and the leader stood behind the whole house of judah who were building on the wall those who carried burdens were loaded in such a way that each labored on the work with one hand and held his weapon with the other and Each of the builders had his sword strapped at his side while he built. The man who sounded the trumpet was beside me. When we read these verses by themselves, it's easy to see that these works were distinct or separate from one another. Therefore, it's easy to surmise that individualistic lifestyle or ministry is justified and cooperative ministry or lifestyle is not. But that would be a wrong summation of these verses. For all we need to do is read the latter part of verse 15 to keep these verses in their proper context. We all return to the wall, each to his work. You see, this proper context helps us understand that each person and groups of persons were simply doing their assigned tasks in rebuilding the wall as the people of God, although they were physically separated from one another. The leaders kept themselves available for whatever need may have arisen from the builders. These leaders, these heads of households, stood as representatives of Nehemiah, but most importantly of God. And their presence encouraged the builders that they were not alone in doing the work. They stood behind those who were building on the wall. This was the work they were assigned to do. Those who carried burdens were those workers who worked on the outside of the wall, removing the rubble or the destroyed portions of the wall. And because of the dangerous nature of their work, because they were the ones who were closest to the enemies, they removed rubble in one hand and carried their weapon in the other. As for those doing the actual building up of the wall, each of them had his sword strapped at his side while he built. For the builders needed to use both of their hands to do the work. Finally, the man who sounded the trumpet was beside Nehemiah. He wasn't off standing on a section of the wall that he thought the people would hear him best if and when he blew the trumpet. No, he was assigned to stay at Nehemiah's side and that's what he did. Now, did you see the both and call in action for each of these persons and groups of persons? You know, the simultaneously call to work and to fight. I think it's pretty easy to see those removing rubble and those doing the building, but what about the leaders and the trumpeter? In wartime, one of the things an officer or leader does not want the enemy to know is their rank. That they are a leader of those that the opposition is fighting against. But notice, where the leaders of the builders were. They were standing on the wall in full view of both the builders and their enemies. Their call to work was to be available to the builders for tangible needs and to encourage them with their presence. And their call to fight was to make it clear that they stood for the one true God of Israel, regardless of the consequences. As for the trumpeter, he faithfully stayed by the side of the one who had the biggest target on him. This was his call to work fight. You see, the trumpeter's job was to play one to four long blasts on his horn to signal others on their side that danger was approaching and it was time to fight. And in certain cases, it also symbolized the voice of God to frighten the enemy. However, the ram's horn, as in our text, it was used to signal God's people in worship and in warfare to simply gather together. The trumpeter stood ready to blow his horn should the occasion arise. And in verses 19 and 20, Nehemiah explained what that occasion will look like. And I said to the nobles and to the officials and to the rest of the people, the work is great and widely spread and we are separated on the wall far from one another. In the place where you hear the sound of the trumpet rally to us there, our God will fight for us. The point we have been talking about is we stand ready to fight while working. We have seen in the text that the Jews were to be alert for attacks by the enemy. We have seen in the text that God's people are assigned to and expected to do specific works. We have seen in our text that although there was great physical separation between the workers, they were still united in the work of rebuilding the wall. Moreover, we have seen in the text that God calls his people to both work and fight. So knowing these things, a question seems to arise. How does this statement of fact, our God will fight for us, fit within the truth revealed in our text that call God's people to action? Well, in the first place, that's the wrong question to ask. For such a question assumes that God has to fit within what we do rather than how do we fit in with what God is doing. The key point of our text puts this issue into a proper perspective. God assembles his people to work and fight for his glory according to their, our, God-given roles and dependence on him. You see, it is true that God's work is most effectively done by God's people when we do it together. Therefore, God assembles his people together for the word rally in verse 20 means to assemble. But again, notice that when God assembles his people together through the sound of the trumpet, God's people depend on him as one assembly to fight the war for his glory. The sound of the trumpet highlights an important truth for the church, for us today. Don't rally around gimmicks and slick campaigns. Don't rally around the charismatic personality of a human being. God fights for his people when we rally around the clarion call designated by him. In our text, it was the sound of the trumpet. For the church, it is the clarion call of the gospel. For that is what God uses to make disciples of Jesus Christ. For the gospel is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. Jesus says in Matthew 28 verses 18 through 20 all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me Go therefore and make disciples of all nations baptizing them in the name of the father and of the son and of the holy spirit Teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you and behold. I am with you always to the end of the age Notice that Jesus says he is with those who make disciples of all nations by first getting them saved through the gospel, which is what is meant by baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. You see, for God saves repentant sinners who fully believe all that God says about Jesus in the Bible. And then second, Jesus is with those who continually teach all believers in Jesus to obey all that he says in the scriptures. This is Jesus's methodology for making disciples. This is what he calls his church to do. Jesus is with those who use the gospel and the scriptures primarily as their methodology in making disciples for him. And the flip side implication is true. Those who embrace any other methodology for making disciples for Jesus are on their own to accomplish their own human agenda. Jesus will not allow himself to be tacked on to some activity that may sound good, but in reality is the brainchild of a mere finite human being. To be clear, this is not a salvation issue. It's a ministry issue. It's an issue of what is the clarion call of a church's ministry endeavors. I remember I shared with you a few weeks ago of meeting with the pastor who wanted to bring a secondary issue to be a primary issue in different churches. Family. God is creating a culture at this church that we've talked about. What is the culture? It's a culture of the gospel, right? That's what we're gathered about You do know david in your prayer. You hit it right on the head. This world is not our home We're sojourners we're passing through So I hope you got your sliding shoes on because we're just sliding on through Guys we're built for eternity and we're being built for eternity and the way you get to eternity that sees jesus eyeball to eyeball is through the gospel Shame on those who use anything else. This statement in our text, our God will fight for us is indeed a statement of fact and it is one of assurance. For no one can stop God or His plans. It boggles my mind that God wants to, and He does use His people. He uses us to do great things in this world to glorify Him. But at the same time, in no shape, form, or fashion does God need us to glorify Himself. Indeed, Psalms 19, 1 and 6 declares, the heavens declare the glory of God. and the sky above proclaims his handiwork. Day to day pours out speech and night to night reveals knowledge. There is no speech nor are there words whose voice is not heard. their voice goes out through all the earth and their words to the end of the world and then he has set a tent for the sun which comes out like a bridegroom leaving his chamber and like a strong man runs its course with joy it's rising is from the end of the heavens and its circuit to the end of them and there is nothing hidden from its heat but the truth remains that God assembles his people to work and fight for his glory. According to their, our God-given roles and dependence on him, we simply don't depend on human ingenuity and man-made schemes in this war against God's glory. When we cry out to God like David in Psalm 60, oh, grant us help against the foe, for vain is the salvation of man With God we shall do valiantly. It is He who will tread down our foes. We stand ready to fight while working. But also and finally, we remain diligent in the fight. It's right there in verses 21 through 23. So we labored at the work, and half of them held spears from the break of dawn until the stars came out. I also said to the people at that time, let every man and his servant pass the night within Jerusalem that they may be a guard for us by night and may labor by day. So neither I nor my brothers nor my servants nor the men of the guard who followed me, none of us took off our clothes. Each kept his weapon at his right hand. These verses scream out the reality of diligence within the fight for God's glory. There can be no letting up for a moment as the enemy is always looking for an opportunity or an opening through which to attack. There is no such thing as a day off in this fight family, which is why Nehemiah proclaimed and affirmed, our God will fight for us. For the scripture says in Psalms 121, I lift up my eyes to the hills from where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord who made heaven and earth. He will not let your foot be moved. He who keeps you will not slumber. Behold, he who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. I remember reading some years back about this man who's going through some severe trials. Yet one of his close friends who knew about all the troubles that he was going through observed that this man always seemed to be at peace, that he didn't seem to worry. So this friend asked the man, how could he seem to be at peace with all that was going on in his life? And so he asks him, don't you lose sleep over your troubles? The man replies, well, I told God all about my troubles. And since he never sleeps or slumbers, I figured there's no need in both of us staying up at night. Now why we see the call to work fight in these verses in our text? The clear dominant thought here again is on the fight perspective of our call. But again notice that the emphasis is not on God's people going out looking for the enemy in order to engage them. No, the main emphasis is on remaining diligent with the recognition that the fight is real. That's mainly what it means to be in the fight. But the phrase, we labor it at the work, also indicates that there remains intentional activity on the part of God's people in the fight. For Nehemiah and the Jews, this means they were to rebuild their assigned sections in the wall and gates. For the church, for us, this means we are, in the words of Jude, to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints. We are to exert intense effort for the faith that is objectively believed, that is the gospel. We are to give our lives for the gospel that was given by God to the apostles and delivered to every Christian at all times and all places through the scriptures. This is the fight we are in, church, for the world has marshaled every one of its resources to distort the gospel and to stop it from being the one thing that God uses to transform hell-bound sinners into heaven-bound saints. Being pro-life doesn't save us from our sins. Being anti-LGBTQ and against same-sex marriage doesn't rescue us from being separated from God for all eternity. Yes, the scripture does say that those things ought to be true of Christians, but they don't save us from our sin. That's not what we make the primary agenda of the churches because Jesus has made the gospel the primary. issue for the church. Remember the Apostle Paul clarifies for all Christians in Romans 1, 16 and 70, what our focus as the church should be, right? For I am not ashamed of the gospel, For it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it, the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith. As it is written, the righteous shall live by faith. Finally, as I get ready to take my seat, the last sentence in verse 23 of our text, each kept his weapon at his right hand. This sentence is actually pretty difficult to translate, and it's evidenced by the numerous translations of it. The New American Standard Bible says, each took his weapon, even to the water. The New International Version says, each had his weapon, even when he went for water. The New King James Version says of this whole text, so neither I, my brethren, my servants, nor the men of the guard who followed me took off our clothes, except that everyone took them off for washing. And then a New English translation of the Septuagint says, and there was not a man of us taking off his clothes. As you can see there are different ways this sentence has been translated, but notice each translation speaks to the idea of diligence or readiness in the face of battle. So the truth remains, that we remain diligent in the fight for God's glory. Why? Because God assembles his people to work and fight for his glory. According to there, our God-given roles in dependence on him because our God will fight for us. Amen? Amen. So now, what is God's desired work for us to do in response to this text? We have to answer a question. It's the question I posed at the beginning of this message. Do we see God in His glory worth fighting for? We must answer this question from both a personal standpoint and a corporate standpoint. But I challenge you, I challenge us to think about it, not to answer too quickly. And if we answer yes from a personal standpoint, How will our lives change specifically? If we answer yes from a corporate standpoint, how will our ministry activity change specifically? However, if we answer no from either standpoint, we must ask ourselves why, and we must talk with a trusted Christian friend, a pastor, an elder, or our shepherd about it. Because as those Messages of last two weeks. We either belong to God or we don't. There's serious implications from 1 John chapter 1. From Psalms 1. Because there are two ways to live, right? And next week we're going to talk about it again. From Mark chapter 4. Let's pray. Father, we thank you for your word. We thank you for challenging us. for not letting us be comfortable having answered all the right questions concerning faith. God, because it's you. It's you who make us your own. It's not us. We don't make ourselves Christians. We don't make ourselves believers in Jesus Christ. You give us the faith to believe, and that is by grace alone. By grace alone you save us, you make us yours. And if you've done that to us, there remains significant response to that truth. We can't go through life living according to our own agenda. We have to exist according to yours. And so may we trust you to fight for us, because you created us to know you, to enjoy you forever, and to glorify you. That's why we exist, to make you known. Challenge us, God. Help us answer these questions and this question correctly for your glory. Because I declare now that I see you God in your glory worth fighting for and I would give my life to you. May we all do the same. In Jesus name, Amen.