scripture will be a person in the way over Nehemiah chapter number 6 and verse number 15 or 16 this morning one of our preachers preached from this passage and this one particular verse stuck out to me and I just wanted to share with you, with the Lord, share with me while I was reading it and meditating over it. Let's run to Nehemiah chapter number 6 and verse 15. The Bible says this in Nehemiah 6 verse 15. So the wall was finished in the twenty and fifth day of the month Elul. in fifty and two days. And it came to pass 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. For they perceived to know that this work was wrought of our God. The Bible says in verse number 16, when our enemies heard thereof, and all the heathen that were about us saw, But verse 15 says this, so the wall was finished. Now I want to talk to you tonight on this little thought. When we finish. When we finish. Father, I pray tonight for divine help. I pray God for guidance and direction. I pray God to clear my mind and my thoughts. I pray God to fill the Holy Spirit. I pray God to grab ahold of each of us and God give us what we need tonight. I pray God to stir us on the inside. I pray God to give us great wisdom and lighten our minds. I pray God to reveal to us that task, yes sir, that task that you have for us to finish, to complete, complete. And with that, Father, we'll thank you. I pray, God, that you stir so much in me inside that it will cause us to move into action. And with that, Father, we'll praise you. Help every family, bless every marriage. I pray, God, that you bless every child, grandchild, aunt, uncle, the list goes on. And God, help us to be a blessing to someone that's in need of a blessing. And with that, Father, we'll thank you. We love you. Help us right now. God, fill us each with the Holy Spirit. Lord, God, fill us. That's it for now. We'll meet that need as well. For it's your son's day, we pray. Not a weak Jesus, but mighty Jesus. Amen. when we finish. Every person here has a task, has an assignment, yes, good word, has an assignment from God Almighty. The question is this, let me rephrase that, we have many various assignments that God has given us, the question is this, are we going to finish the assignment that God has given us? And oftentimes, my friends, if we don't finish those assignments, it will have an adverse effect on somebody's life. But the Bible says here that these people of God finished their assignment. That word finish means to complete. It's almost like when you take a test. When you take a test at school, a lot of times you have so many minutes to complete the test, to complete the test, and if you don't complete it in a certain amount of time, then that's it. Whether you get all 50 done or not, that's it. But we want to complete the test, we want to get as many as we can right, so we can get us a good grade, here's a good word, a passing grade, amen? I love my A's, I like the A pluses, and I don't know if they give these out anymore, A plus plus, amen? But I like those type of grades on my test. But my dear friends, each of us has an assignment, and I want to complete that assignment, complete that test that God has given to us. Now, when you finish the task, each of us should have also a desire to finish too. Hold the place here because we're coming back, but go to 2 Corinthians 8, verse number 10. 2 Corinthians 8, verse number 10. Finish the desire that you have. What I mean by that is this. A lot of times we have a big desire. We have a hunger to accomplish something for God and we'll even stand up in the worship service and say yes God has called me to do this. Yes, this is an assignment that God has given me. My question is this, will that desire turn into action? This is what the Bible says in 2 Corinthians chapter number 8 and verse number 10. 2nd Corinthians 8 verse number 10. The Bible says, there's Paul talking to the church. He says this, and herein I give my advice. He says, for this is expedient for you who have begun before, not only to do, but also to be forward a year ago. That word forward here is a good word. It means to desire or to have in mind. You had in mind a year ago to do this, which Paul is speaking to them about. And he says in verse 11, now therefore, here it is, perform the doing of it, that as there was a readiness to will, so there may be a performance also out of that which ye have. What's going on here, preacher? Well, they decide to give, to help a particular group of folks that were in need. They had this desire over a year ago. They had this hunger over a year ago. And now what Paul is saying to them, I want you to also to perform it. Carry it out. By the way, that word perform here means to finish. It means to complete. Now, therefore, perform, finish, complete. The doing of it, that as there was a readiness to will. You had a readiness, a willing mind. You had a zeal to do this. So it says, I want you to finish it. So that there may be a performance also out of that which you have. In other words, complete that desire that you had. Complete that that you started. Finish what you started doing. I wonder how many of us have started something that we've not finished. You know there was something that God would have you to do, but you've not completed the task. But you had a desire, you had a hunger, and my dear friends, let that desire turn into actions that will be Completed. Right. I don't know about you, but I want to run this race well, but I also want to finish. Yeah. I want to finish. Yeah. Then here's something that's the same thought. Sometimes the beginning is tough. Yep. Look what the Bible says in Ecclesiastes chapter 7. That's right after Proverbs. Look at Ecclesiastes chapter 7 and verse number 8. Ecclesiastes chapter 7 and verse number 8. Sometimes, sometimes the beginning is tough. We're into everybody going to school right now, get back into school and things of that nature. But sometimes it's tough getting started. New job, it's tough getting going. The book of Bible says here in verse eight, Ephesians chapter seven, better, this is gonna help us, better is the end of a thing than the beginning. You know that cuss word was good. And the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit. And that word patient here means long-suffering and also watch this, means slow to anger. Sometimes we'll start a task and if we're not careful, we'll get angry. It ain't going like I thought it was gonna go. And sometimes, my dear friends, the beginning is tough. But mostly it says in verse 8, better is the what? End of a thing than the beginning thereof. And that word here, end, means reward. There's nothing like it. Let's take school, for example. Man, you've been studying hard one year, two year, three year, four year, wherever the case might be, but all of a sudden, my friends, you completed and you graduate and you walk across the stage and you got your degree in your hand. It's like, man, I finished. You're good. But before you got that degree in your hand, you had all those tests. Yeah. You got a test this week? Yeah, Thursday. Thursday. Test coming up. Rough, hard. Got a husband, got a daughter, working too at the same time. It's tough, hard. But man, when you get that degree, and the pain that goes along with the degree, I mean, it makes you smile saying, man, I completed it. I finished. My dear friends, whatever it is, it might be tough in the beginning, but the end, that reward you get at the end will be all worth it, my dear friends. We're talking about when we finish. Let me read one more verse from that same thought before we go back to Nehemiah. Look what the Bible says over here in Acts 20, verse 24. Sometimes things will try to hinder us from completing or finishing our task. Look what the Bible says in Acts 20, verse 24. Verse 24, we're familiar with this verse of scripture. The Bible says this, this is dealing with Brother Paul. Paul says this, a lot of attacks will come in his direction. He got worried even though he knows it's gonna get rough, bro. The Bible says here, verse 24, but none of these things move me. Neither can I my wife dear unto myself, so that I might halfway finish. So I may finish my course with joy and the ministry, the service which I have received of the Lord Jesus to testify the gospel of the grace of God. Paul says, not these things, but they said that's going to happen to me, moves me. It does not shake me. It does not cause me to run in the other direction, because I want to finish my task. I want to finish my course with joy, hallelujah. My difference, we can finish this thing with joy, hallelujah. But preachers talk. Yeah, but wait for that joy, man. that joy will come. It's almost like sometimes I'll travel somewhere and I might have to drive all day and I'll get there many times. I'll get there an hour before service, sometimes 30 minutes before service and I have to run right in there and preach the Word of God. But I tell you what my friends, once the Word of God has been given out and you see the folks coming down the aisles and they're crying out to God Get some help and some strength. They have to service. Somebody walks up to you and says, man, Preacher, thank you. That helped me. That's just what I need to hear to give me a jump start. I can go forward. You know what I'm talking about? I've been 12-hour drives, and I've done hundreds and hundreds of miles, and all the rest of that. Man, it's worth it, because it's the joy that's coming in. What do you say, Preacher? Let's change this thing. Amen. Let's go back over to Nehemiah. I want to show us what happens when you finish. the Bible says in chapter 6. Now before we finish, there's going to be some fear. I know, I don't like fear either. Man something fell the other day, I was at the church, and man I had that But when it first happened, you got all kinds of stuff moving all over your body. You never knew it was there. That's fear. Watch this. One time, Miss Sue came in on me one day. Bless her heart. I said, Miss Sue, you got to announce yourself. You didn't come walking from the church. I almost hit me shoe. I mean, I didn't know. You come up in here, say preacher, pastor, cause I'm not, it's a baseball bat, man, and stuff. I mean, my swing, we ask questions. Anyway, fear. Sometimes fear will come in there. Watch this. The Bible says in verse nine, the Bible says this, for they all made us afraid, Nehemiah says. They made us afraid, this is what they said, words, words, words. Their hands shall be weakened from the work. Y'all gonna get tired. That it might, that it be not done. You're not gonna even finish it. And this is what Nehemiah says. Now, therefore, God, strengthen my hands. You said, whoo, you made it out, yeah. But it ain't done. And the Bible said verse 10, afterward, There's always an afterward. The Bible says afterward, I came into the house of Shimei, the son of a Deliah, the son of a, many of you got some weird names, who was shut up. And he said this, let us meet together in the house of God. That sounds good. Within the temple. Yeah, sure. And let us shut the doors. of the temple, for they will come to slay thee. Yea, in the night they will come to slay thee. And I said, should such a man desire to flee? And who is there that, being as I am, will go into the temple to save his life? I will not go in. Watch this. And lo, I perceived that God had not sent him, but that he pronounced this prophecy against me, For Tobiah and Samballot had hired him, but he got paid. Therefore was he hired that I should be afraid, and do so, and sin, that they might have manner for an evil report, that they might reproach me. Man, they was trying to set me up. Come on inside here. Going somewhere that he was not supposed to be in because of the position that he did not hold. And then I'm going to get in trouble, and then now they're going to have really something to say against me. I'm not going to run, he says, in fear. Remember, those are what he does. Verse 14, my God think thou upon Tobiah in Zambia. That word think means to mark, to remember. He says here, my God, think thou upon Tobiah and Sambalon, according to their works, and on the prophetess, Lodiah, and the rest of the prophets that would have put, I like these words, that would have put, I wasn't there, that would have put me in fear. They were trying to get me to be afraid and run and hide. Thank the Lord. That reminds me of the verse, see the first Timothy or second Timothy, chapter one, verse seven. You cannot give us a spirit of fear, but of power, and of love, and of a soul. So if that fear begins to slip in upon us, Miss Bobbie, let it come from God. The enemy's trying to get us to be afraid, trying to get us to not finish or complete the task that God has assigned for us. Preacher, what happens when we finish? Let me show us. Number one, enemies will heal. They won't hear about it. Our enemies, I have to say. The Bible says, now go with me. The Bible says, verse 15. So the wall was finished. The wall of protection was completed. And the 20 and 50, in the 20 and fifth day, of a month ill in 52 days, that's amazing. And it came to pass that when, when all our enemies heard thereof, and all the heathen that were about us saw those things that were must cast down, and their own eyes they perceived that the work was wrought of our God. Our enemies heard about it. Our enemies heard that the wall was built. The enemy heard that the task was completed. The enemy heard that the assignment that I was given, it was taken care of. I didn't falter. My enemies, they heard about it. This is my difference. Same thing. If we don't complete it, they're gonna hear about it. You probably can't even count how many, when you first start coming back to church, getting right with God, and folks saying, they ain't gonna have that. We don't have that. That ain't going to last. How long is it going to last? They got a question mark. They got to magnify it with a glass, trying to see. And many of us, my dear friends, folks, they spit hot, but they're watching. We want to see if it's going to last. We want to see if this thing is real. Anybody can sign believe God. But we'll find out how much we believe God when the storms come. We'll find out how much we believe God when spiritually we find ourselves being shipwrecked. We'll find out, my friends, how much we believe God when the lights go out, when the thunder is roaring, when the lightning is striking, when the sea is like there's no way for victory. That's what we'll find out. But it's easy when things are going smooth. Praise the Lord. That's right. Poor guy. Come on. But I tell you what. Yeah. When the pressure's on. The real pressure guys. Right. The real pressure. When you can't see nothing, nowhere, how this gonna work out? How this gonna happen? You know? I'm thinking about Brett right now. When Brett first, he was diagnosed a long time ago, but when it first started developing itself, the HAE, when he was, well, That was hard. But, because there was stress related that caused it to come happen. Anyway, anyway, anyway. But anyhow, anyhow, that's what they told us. But when that first took place, there was no medicine that was really out there to do anything. Every job Brett would get, he wouldn't make it through the three months process. Because he would swell up. He wouldn't even go to work. Listen, you can't work like this. Hands all swelled up. I'll never forget one night he came over just when Michelle and Steven still lived in the house. He came over to the house. Man, he had a ski mask on. You remember that? Had a ski mask on. Michelle at the door, like, who is it? He tried to say it's Brett. And she's like, oh, and she said, take that off. And he finally took the ski mask off, and he was so swelled up. His eyes, face, everything was all swelled up. She could barely tell that it was Brett. Twice in the hospital. All these type of things. Near death, friends. But now they've got some medicine. It costs a lot of money, but they've got some medicine that as long as you take it, it helps it not to flare up. It's in your system prevention now, right? How many times have you flared up since you got it in your system? None. There was a time when we didn't see how nothing was going to happen from that because the HAE is not like some of these other things that folks are battling. I mean, some folks didn't know about it. But now you say cancer or something like that. I mean, there are millions upon millions of dollars going into research and all this, but not with HAE because it's not right out there like that. It's a small, small percentage of people that battle with that. But look at God. One time he was bound, he's made his testimony. One time he was bound with depression because he wasn't able to go to work. You know, his wife's working, he's not able to go to work, and he was bound with that, bound with that. Now, good Lord, how many times he does it? Every time I look on Facebook, I know the job. Son, you gotta slow down, I know you're young. He's a youth pastor, but he's also, he's teaching, what you teach at the school? Biblical beginnings. Biblical beginnings? So he got three classes, two last year. He got three classes about his teaching at the school. Then he just started their first football team and he's the head coach. And then he's the assistant defensive coordinator for who? For Michael's team. Come on, bro. Listen, my dear friend. He's working on it. He's busy. He's also your fellow musician. Spiritual service coordinator. Spiritual service coordinator. He's the go-between between the faculty and the students. When they got stress problems going on, he's the go-between. What you're trying to say, Preacher, I'm saying this, my friends, sometimes in my sin, there's no way that God can do, not God, but it's gonna work out any kind of way as far as we can see with our visible eye. Look at all that he's doing right now. Amen. That's right, amen. Guess what? The enemy sees it. Brett didn't quit. He kept trying to do things, kept staying busy. And my friends, when you and I don't quit, and we finish what God has called us to do, the enemy hears that. Not only that enemy hear that, but watch this. I really like this section. The heathen will see. The Bible says in verse number 16, it says this, when all our enemies heard thereof, and all the heathen, these are the heathens here, they just lost you. With all the heathen, the Bible says, that were about us, saw. They saw, they looked at, they inspected what took place. They saw it with their own eyes. When you and I finish, not only do our enemies hear about it, but lost people see it. Man, I see they completed that. They finished. It's real. Yeah. Because know what they say next. This is the last portion. That's this. They will know it was God. The Bible says this. They saw these things. They were much cast down their own eyes, for they perceived, they knew that this work, this ministry, this employment was raw, was accomplished, was made before of our God. Wow. Because we completed my dear friends the heathen sees The enemy see Here and they all know it was God Most they say oh who wouldn't they abide in this is wrong. This is God's work God is the one who accomplished this. It was God that gave them the strength to be able to complete the task that they were assigned. And my dear friends, if we want to complete the task that God has assigned to us, it will take God to help us. It won't be our own strength. It won't be our own wisdom, but the wisdom that comes from above. If we don't finish, the lost person, our adversary, tell you what, nothing too bad. Yeah. Nothing whatsoever. Right. But when you're on your job, and you're facing all types of pressures, and they see you still trusting in the living God, you've not quit, you've not gone backwards, they'll say, man, that's God. I'm going to tell you what, they'll be saying, I'm about to fall apart. But they're not falling apart. They're like, why are you not falling apart? Because God got it. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. God gave you this job. Yeah. You know? Yes. Yes. Yes. Preach it. Good living. Yeah. Listen, it's not about us. It's not about God. I don't forget, when I was on my job, and folks would get laid off all over the place. You know, and I was going over here, and I was trying to encourage this person, and I was trying to encourage this person over here. I was trying to help this person over here. And folks would fall apart and all kinds of stuff. Then my name got called. Everybody, what he gonna do? You telling us? Cheer up! You know what? I know it was the Lord guys. I know it wasn't me. It was God. I'm sitting on, I don't forget it. I'm sitting on this side of the table. My supervisor is sitting on the other side of the table. He's sitting over there, and he said, I got to let you off. Now they're going by seniority now, you know, because everybody was equal as far as like performance and stuff. Now they're going by seniority. We would have been there the longest. And so my number came up, and he looked at me. He says, Jolene was pregnant with Isaiah. He looked at me, and me, we put his hand. I'll never forget it. He put his hand in his face and shook his hand. I said, what you going to do? I looked at him. I leaned over there and said, you're just going to be all right. And I was saying to myself, wait a minute, me and him laid off? He's still working. But that was the Lord. He just looked at me, I said, it's going to be okay, God's going to work it out. And man, I was off all those weeks from work. And man, I was getting phone calls from different places, but the locals didn't give me liberty. I had to take those different jobs. Because our company, I can tell my editor, they did us right. I mean, they made up my resume. If I was to show you my resume right now, you're like, say what? I'm like, yeah, well, I'm saying too. I didn't know all that. I didn't know I had all the kind of school and all the kind of different things on there. And they made up our resume for us, and then they sent them out to all the different companies. They sent them out to all the different companies. I didn't have to send out anything. I mean, it was amazing, you know. And me, I'm there with Jolene. She's found out I'm working. Me and her, we're enjoying it because the time is coming up for Isaiah to be born. I'll never forget that. And man, at the time, I would get a check every week for my job, you know, because of my service pay, you know, that package thing. I was getting that. Then finally that last day came, I had a job interview at some place called GC, GC Avionics, had an interview over there, and so I left there, and they said get back with me on Monday. I get, I never forget it, we get back home, and the envelope, the job that sent me, this was my last check. And instead of one check, make a long story short, some of y'all know the story already, but instead of one check, I had three checks in there. Russell, they had vacation pay in there. I'm like, I wasn't even there, but I was still occurring, vacation time. I had that check in there, then plus, because the company did so much money, then anything over that, the employees got a certain percentage of that. So guess what, they cut me a check for that too. Three checks. And then the phone rings from GCA Bionics, this is still Friday, I just left there. They said just come on in, start on Monday. I didn't miss a beat. I said I had been born and all that, man, I was there for the whole pregnancy, the whole nine months. I mean, it was awesome. But through that whole process, God was like, trust me, trust me. And guys, some of y'all are going for the same here. When you're walking with the Lord, you know the difference, because you have that inner peace. But when we're not walking like we need to, I'm not saying we're doing crazy stuff, but when we need to be with Him in that particular area right there, it's hard. It's like, I don't know, me peep around the corner. But when you walk with Him, it's like, you know what, we good. There's something about it. And you know what? It's basic stuff. It's not all this, you know what, I gotta jump up there on the fan and spin around in the water. No. It's simple little stuff like this. Get up in the morning, ho, everyone that thirsts, come ye to the waters. And he that hath no money, come ye, buy and eat. Yea, come, buy wine and milk, buy money. And without price, say what? That's in the scripture. I'm just reading what the Bible just said. You start reading that, I'm just reading, I just picked it up. I'm thinking about something right here. He says, come by without money. So apparently he gonna take care of it. Amen. Put it on his, put it on his account. Amen. My goodness. You read a scripture like that, man builds a family. Yeah. Pop, pop, pop. I mean, you can walk around like this. What's going on y'all? God's got you. Amen. Amen. My soul. But we don't get that food in you, man. God's got it. What did you say? God's got it. We've all been there, guys. Let's be honest. Amen. We've all been there. We know the difference. We know the difference. When we complete the task, when we finish, others see it, and they'll know. Amen. I got three questions for you. First question is this. What assignment will you give? Second question is this, is fear about to stop you? Is fear about to stop you? There's a saying that God, I'm not too much of a saint, but there's a saying that don't let God, whatever God, something about whatever God told you in the light, don't let the darkness cause you to fear, something like that. Sometimes when in the light, you look at, man, I know God's got this going on, but when it gets dark, you're like, oh, I don't know if God's got it or not. Whatever he told you in the light, He'll take care of it for you, help you get through it. But on that, His fear about to stop you. But then the third thing is a statement. Let's call upon God, not the enemy. Yep, you might have called on Him. I said, God, you remember the folk who took care of that stuff. They're trying to call me and be afraid. And the last statement is this. Let's finish that the enemies will hear and the lost will see. And they will know it was God. Amen. It was God. Father, thank you for your many wonderful blessings. And I pray God that this message, this simple message, will spark something great in all of our lives. To finish, the importance of finishing. Folks are watching, but not only that, Father, it'll help build our faith and confidence in you, too, when we finish. Help us not to quit. We know what you said, but would you ever change your mind? Father, you still want us to do that. that's trying to overload their mind, I pray God they come to you tonight. Perhaps they want to intercede for somebody who's let the enemy overcome them with fear, and they want to pray for that person with strength. But God, whatever the needs are tonight, if they have nothing in the message, they just want to come talk to you. So Father, I pray they come, Father, whether they come and kneel or sit around the altar, stand around the altars, whatever they need to do, I pray God they come talk to you for a few moments. Why? Because you want to talk to them. Help somebody, please, because we need it. In Jesus' name we pray, Jesus, amen.