April 30, 2025 • 25 mins
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Will you take a stand, you're going to be criticized,
just make sure you're taking the right stay.
Speaker 2 (00:06):
Doctor Tony Evans reminds us that living for God means
choosing purpose over popularity.
Speaker 1 (00:11):
In other words, you will not be able to please everyone.
Don't please the Lord.
Speaker 2 (00:17):
This is the alternative broadcast featuring the timeless Biblical teachings
from the archives of doctor Tony Evans. There are times
when you try to fix what's broken, only to hear
people say it can't be done. But the apostle Paul
reminds us that if it's within the Lord's will, who
can be against us? Today Doctor Evan shows how faith
(00:39):
plays a crucial role in success when you're up against
worldly resistance and criticism. Let's join him in the Book
of Nehemiah. As he explains in chapter.
Speaker 1 (00:49):
Four, we learn a very valuable lesson. If you're going
to rebuild something that's broken, you're going to have to
have a faith that overcomes why because any time you
try to fix something that's broken, you're gonna be criticized.
In fact, you will find that when you are the
(01:10):
most determined to fix your life, fix your family, fix
your church, or fix your society, people you never even
knew are gonna show up to tell you why it
can't be done, shouldn't be done, or not be done,
could never be done, and you're fool for thinking that
it could be done. Neil Mayah in chapter three gets
(01:34):
the people together and does the main thing that must
be done to rebuild something that's broken, and that is
unite people around a single purpose. And let me define
what I said earlier so that you don't forget it.
Unity in the Bible does not mean saneness. You're not
unified because everybody's the same. You are unified because there's
(01:55):
oneness of purpose. Nel Mayah runs into brick destroyers in
chapter four, verse one. Now it came about that when
san Ballad heard that we were rebuilding the wall, he
became furious, very angry, and not the Jews. When the
word got out we were doing something. So now if
(02:18):
you're not doing something, the word will get out because
there's no word to get out. But now the word
was out that the Jews were finally to catch this,
taking responsibility for their own actions. People try to tear
down what you want to build up under God because
people are threatened. That was sam Balad's problem. He did
not want Israel to rebuild these walls because that would
(02:41):
make them strong again. And as long as they were weak,
he was strong. So some people have it as their
vested interest to keep you weak so that you don't
become as strong as they are. And then the final
reason that people criticize this traditionalism, they don't want change
because times changed, circumstances change, people change, attitude changes. You
(03:02):
must have change if you're going to have progress. That
does not mean all traditionalism is bad. It simply means
that certain traditions run their course. And so there is
san Ballad who pops up. Now San Ballad and his
friend are a formidable foe because what they do in
(03:23):
Versus two and three, if heap ridicule on them, to
put it in another way, they try to discourage them.
And he spoke in the presence of his brothers and
the wealthy men of Samaria, and said, what are these
feeble Jews doing? Are they going to restore it for themselves?
(03:43):
Can they offer sacrifices? Can they finish in a day?
Can they revive the stones from the dusty rubble, even
the burnt ones? And now Tobia the ammonite was near
him and said, even what they are building, if a
fox should jump on it, he would break their stone
wall down. The last thing you need are people sitting
on the sidelines telling you how big a job it
(04:06):
is and how much is going to take to complete it,
and you really can't do it. Listen, people can only
criticize you because you're doing something. If you're not getting criticized,
get worried. When you take a stand, you are going
to be criticized. Just make sure you're taking the right
stand and therefore being criticized for the right thing. You
(04:29):
ought to be criticized, because that means you're standing for something.
There's a story about criticism that illustrates this. The story
is told of an old man whose grandson wrote a
donkey while they were traveling from one city to another.
So they were traveling one city to another, and the
grandson was on the donkey. Okay, Well, as they passed
(04:51):
by some people, the grandfather heard the people say, would
you look at that that old man suffering on his
feet while that strong young boy is totally capable of walking.
So they heard the criticism, they said, well, let's change it.
So the old man rolled the donkey while the young
boy walked. But then they passed some more people who said,
(05:14):
where you look at that, that healthy man making that
poor boy suffer? Can you believe that? So they heard
that criticism, so they said, well, maybe are the changing.
So the man and the boy rode on the donkey.
They passed some more people said can you believe that?
(05:35):
Would you look at those heavy brutes making that poor
donkey suffer? So they both got off and they both
walked until they heard some more people say, would you
look at that way? A perfectly good donkey not being used?
(05:55):
Finally frustrated, the scene shifts and we see the boy
walking and the old man carrying the donkey. No matter
what you do, you can't please everybody. No matter what
you do, you can't satisfy everyone. I had a preacher
(06:21):
to tell me when I was coming into the ministry.
He said, boy, don't try to please all them people.
I said, well, why not? I need to please the flock,
he say, to a point, But he said, you got
all these personalities and all these people. Don't try to
please all these people. I said, but why not? He said,
because Jesus already died for them once. And if that
(06:43):
don't change them. It ain't no need for you dying
for me too. That's what he told me. That was
the advice I got. In other words, whereas you will
not be able to please everyone, so please the Lord.
(07:05):
In fact, you spind pardon the New Testament, saying it
matters not what you think when there is a clear
injunction from the Word of God. And so he begins
a rebuilding program. Well, what does Neamaiah do to this discouragement.
(07:28):
He does what he always does. First, he prays, I hope,
if you've learned anything through my lectures so far, you've
learned the primacy and priority of prayer. You do not
prayer after the mess. You pray first verse four, here o,
our God, how we are despised because the word had
(07:51):
gotten back to Israel. Return their approach upon their own
heads and give them up for plunder in a land
of captivity. Do not forgive their iniquity, and let not
their send me blotted out before the for they have
demoralized the builders. Before I say a word about this prayer, man,
(08:12):
I say a word about what he didn't do. You're
not gonna like this, but it's a great lesson to learn.
He did not retaliate. He could have said, you know,
what goes around comes around. He could have retaliated, say
(08:33):
you're talking about me, I'm gonna talk about you back.
Can I quote a verse to you? Vengeance is mine,
saith the Lord I will repay. Let me tell you
why it's important Verse. Once you do the repaying, you
(08:54):
cancel out divine vengeance. God says, well, since you're gonna
take care of it, you don't need me. He did
not retaliate. He called on the bengeful God said, here o, God,
they despise us. You take care of it.
Speaker 3 (09:14):
Now.
Speaker 1 (09:14):
Who can do this better? You? A God? See. But
because we don't believe God pays back, we think we
have to do it now. Don't get me wrong. He
doesn't do nothing. He does something. He prays, He gets
God on that case, and he calls on God in
what we call an impecatory prayer. In pecatory prayers the
(09:37):
prayers where you call down God's wrath. Now, there's a
lot of confusion about whether you pray impecatory prayers today undergrace,
And the answer is, under certain circumstances, you pray in
pecatory prayer when the name of God is being destroyed
by what people are attempting to do, which will destroy
the unified program of God and what he's seeking to build. First, Corindians,
(09:59):
chapter three, it says, anybody who destroyed the temple of
God by God will be destroyed. In other words, there's
certain things that you don't tolerate, and there's certain things
you call on God to deal with immediately. When there
are people trying to destroy God's name and God's character,
(10:20):
you say, Lord, save them or judge them, but do
something and make your name demonstrable in this world. And
in the circumstance you call on God. You call on
God to deal with people who has as their intent
to destroy the work of God. And I hope you
(10:42):
know it. Some people have that as their intent. They
want to break up your home, break up your life,
break up the church, keep the community community in a
disaster because they have no reference for God whatsoever. And
so he prays.
Speaker 2 (10:58):
When doctor Evans return in just a moment, he'll explain
how Neamiah's commitment to prayer and hard work led to victory. First, though,
I want to let you know that the lesson we're
hearing today is part of a powerful series taking us
through the Old Testament Book of Neemiah, a study that
goes far beyond ancient history. In this two volume, fifteen
(11:20):
lesson collection, doctor Evan shows how Neamiah's mission to rebuild
the walls of Jerusalem is a model for how God
wants to rebuild our lives, restore our communities, and renew
our faith. It's available right now as our thank you
gift when you make a contribution to support the Ministry
of the Alternative, and as an added bonus. Along with
(11:41):
the complete Neemiyah audio series, you'll also receive a copy
of doctor Evan's compelling book, One Nation Under God. It's
a timely resource that lays out a kingdom approach to
turning our culture around, starting not in Washington, but in
the hearts of God's people. Visit us today at Tonyevans
dot org to request this special package, or call us
(12:04):
at one eight hundred eight hundred thirty two twenty two
for assistance from our resource team. I'll have our contact
information for you again after part two of today's lesson,
and this I.
Speaker 4 (12:17):
Urge you to take this course.
Speaker 3 (12:18):
Doctor Craig Evans, renowned expert on the New Testament, serves
as the special guest lecturer for the Tony Evans Training
Center course on the Dead Sea Scrolls in the Bible.
Speaker 4 (12:26):
That covers very important ground what they are and what
they're not.
Speaker 3 (12:29):
One of the most significant archaeological finds of the twentieth century,
the Dead Sea Scrolls provide unparalleled insights into the accuracy
of the Bible. These ancient manuscripts offer a treasure trove
of historical and spiritual significance.
Speaker 4 (12:42):
They preserve for us the Hebrew Bible and shed light
on the teaching of Jesus and the major contributors to
the New Testament.
Speaker 3 (12:50):
The scrolls open a vivid window into the life and
beliefs of the Jewish people during the time of Jesus.
Speaker 4 (12:55):
You will understand the Bible and Jesus and Christian origins
better than you ever have before.
Speaker 3 (13:01):
Take your first step as an honorary amateur archaeologist. Dive
into the Dead Sea Scrolls with special guest lecturer Doctor
Craig Evans. Discover this and other fascinating Biblical studies at
Tony Evans Training dot Org.
Speaker 1 (13:13):
Explore the Kingdom anytime anywhere, so he doesn't retaliate, he
does pray, and Thirdly, he keeps on working verse six.
So we built the wall. The whole wall was joined
together to half its heights, for the people had a
mind to work. Because when people come together with a
mind to work, we got a different scenario. Now now
(13:36):
that people had a mind to work, and guess what,
the wall is half up. They built the whole wall
in fifty two days. So now we're in twenty six days.
Twenty six days, and a wall that had been down
for one hundred and fifty years is halfway up. But
you know, halfway can be the toughest spot to be.
Halfway back can be a tough place to be. So
(14:00):
he keeps on working. This leads to a conspiracy in
verse seven. It came about when san balad Tobia, the Arabs,
and Ammonites and the Astodites heard that the repair of
the walls Jerusalem went on and that their breaches began
to close. They were very angry that criticism didn't work.
(14:20):
What happened verse eight, and all of them conspired together
to come and fight against Jerusalem and to cause the
disturbance in it. They upped the ante. They now say, well,
look they're not letting our criticism work. Let's threaten them physically.
From verse nine, he says, we prayed to our God,
(14:44):
and because of them, we set up a god against
them day and night. Now what did they do? He
prayed and watched verse ten, we see they were struggling
because their burdens were failing. There was a lot of rubbish,
and we ourselves aren't able to build the rebuild wall.
There was just discouragement setting in and then verse eleven,
(15:04):
their fear that the enemies were going to come upon them.
So we now see that Neil Mayah sets in motion
a plan to address what's going on. And so in
verse thirteen, he stationed the people in the lowest part
(15:25):
of the space behind the wall, expose the places, and
stationed the people in families with their swords. Notice what
he said the verse fourteen, when I saw their fear,
and I rose up and spoke to the nobles, officials
and the rest of the people to not be afraid
of them. Remember the Lord. Now you know what they
can causes us to do. Forget the Lord. We take
(15:46):
it back to our own human initiative. He says, stop
thinking about them, start thinking about the Lord, who is
great and awesome. Remember, we saw that in verse one.
Think about the Lord. He's great and he's awesome. One
of my kids were telling me I can't do this algebra.
I say, let's change that right now. No, I do
(16:08):
not know now how to do this algebra. I am
sure the educational information is out there so I can
do this algebra. So where do I need to go
from where I am to where I need to be
to be able to do the algebra and make an
a while doing it? See, because that changes your mind.
So now that may mean tutoring after school, that may
mean getting with the teacher, that may mean a lot
(16:28):
of things. But let's those say I can't do the algebra.
Let's say I haven't not stood it yet. You know.
The first American steamboat took thirty two hours to go
from New York to Albany. People laughed. The horse and
buggy passed the early motor car as if it was
still standing still, and it usually was. People laughed. The
(16:51):
first electric bull was so dim people had to use
a gas lamp to see it. People laughed. The first
app plane came down in fifty nine seconds after they
left the ground. People laughed, Oh, but we fly today,
we drive today. The boats move across the water fast. Today.
People are always gonna laugh when you have a dream.
(17:15):
Let's come to a conclusion here for the day. He
comes up with a plan. Please notice the universe fourteen
the plans around their families. I'm concerned about what am
I going to get out of the deal? He says.
You got a wife, what about her? You've got kids?
What about them? You know couples get divorced and they say,
(17:35):
well what about the kids? Well, I can't think about
their kids. I gotta think about me. Well, if you
could forget you long enough, we can fix the wife
and kids, and then they'll be in a better position
to fix you. You say, but I'm miserable. Of course you're miserable.
Now we know the problem. Let's talk about what we're
(17:57):
gonna do about it. I don't keep repeating the problem.
I'm miserable. I'm miserable. I'm miserable. I'm miserable. All right,
we all agree it is unanimous. You're miserable. Now what
we're gonna do to fix your misery? And so he says,
think about other people. You've got a family here, You've
got other people involved in this deal. You don't want
(18:19):
to fight, but you got your wives and your children's
lives at state, And so he gives them a bigger
vision verse fifteen. And it happened when our enemies heard
that it was known to us and that God had
frustrated their plan. Who frustrated that plan? God, God had
frustrated that plan. Because he prayed God let him know
(18:40):
what the plan was. God gave him a solution. But
he still used people with their own armament, and all
of that. He uses human effort. But it is God
who brings it about. And then all of us returned
to the wall, each one to his work came about
from that day on. Half my servants carried the work,
while half of them held the fields. That we're gonna
(19:02):
build this wall. If you're gonna do something for God,
if we're gonna revitalize the community in which we live,
we're gonna have to make an investment that's unified. We're
gonna have to say that we can do it, that
we can turn it around, that we can make a difference.
If we're gonna rebuild our homes, we have to be determined,
and we're gonna have to set up a plan. So
(19:22):
many people want to lock their way into success. Doesn't
happen that way. You have to have a plan. You
have to have a plan that you're pursuing. And so
he comes to the conclusion here and he says, in
the verse twenty our God will fight for us. Has
(19:44):
God ever fought for you? There's nothing like God fighting
for you, Because when God fights for you, that's the
only way you can explain to win. In fact, being
put in possible situations where there's no human solution. I
(20:05):
like that because then I can say, God, stretch your stuff.
I like that because then I can call on God
to do the supernatural. So many of us never see
the supernatural because we do the fighting for ourselves. He says,
our God will fight for us. So we verse twenty
one carried on the work with half of them holding
the spears from dawn till the star of the peer.
(20:29):
The Bible says in Roman day thirty one, if God
before us, who can be against us? The result of
the work was that they were going to be protected,
protected from outside enemies that we're going to destroy them.
So let me ask in conclusion, what's trying to destroy
(20:51):
your life, your family, what's trying to destroy our church,
and what's destroying our community. On a personal basis, it
may be drugs, sexual immorality. It could be any number
of things that's destroying your life. On a family basis,
(21:14):
personality conflicts, how you were raised, how your wife was raised,
vice versa. Could be any number of influence could be
your children. Church, the always people who come into the
church to try to cause division. By the way, you
can always tell, ask a person who's criticized me, what
are they doing. Too many lives are being broken, and
(21:37):
even if you don't feel it directly, it'll influence you
one way or another because it's gonna spill over to
your life or your family. And so that's why we
must have a unified coalition to make a difference. And
I found out something the other day about icebergs. No
matter how much the wind is blowing, icebergs will never
(21:57):
be pushed in the direction of the wind, but will
always glide in the other direction. Why because the karrent
of the water is stronger than the power of the wind.
And you know another thing about icebergs, The water has
access the most of it. For nine tests of the
iceberg is underwater. See, most of us are reacting to
(22:18):
the winds of life that are blowing against us when
we've got the karrent of God's power available to us.
So you don't have to go with the wind. If
you flow with the kart. I don't know what the
wind of this world is doing to you today, and
I don't know what the wind of this world is pushing.
You're telling you you can't make it. You're never gonna
(22:39):
be anything, and you're never gonna become anything, and you're
never gonna get anywhere, and that marriage can't be saved,
and those children can't be changed, and you know you
can't make anything in yourself, and you can't. You can't,
you can't, you can't. You're listening to the wind. You're
not flowing with the kart, because when you flow with
the Karrent, you understand that he that is in you
is greater than he that is in the.
Speaker 2 (23:05):
Doctor Tony Evans reminding us that no matter what the
world says, our victory comes from the power of the
one who lives within us.
Speaker 1 (23:15):
Now.
Speaker 2 (23:15):
The message we heard today was called the Faith that
Overcomes and as part of Tony's powerful series from Nehemiah,
A fifteen lesson Journey through Leadership perseverance and spiritual renewal.
It's a reminder that God can rebuild what's broken in
our lives, just as he did in Jerusalem in Nehemiah's day.
We'd love to send you the complete series on digital
(23:37):
download as well as in a CD album or USB
thumb drive. There are thank you gift when you make
a donation to support the ministry of the Alternative, and
for a limited time, we'll also include Tony's insightful book,
One Nation Under God, offering a Kingdom perspective on how
believers can impact our nation for good. Evans dot org
(24:01):
today to request this special double offer, or call one
eight hundred eight hundred thirty two twenty two. Again, that's
Tonyevans dot org or by phone at one eight hundred
eight hundred three two two two. When Nehemiah set out
to rebuild the broken down walls of Jerusalem, he wasn't
(24:22):
just taking on a construction project. He was calling God's
people to rebuild their spiritual foundation. Tomorrow, doctor Evans will
explore the importance of believers recognizing and responding to God's priorities.
I hope you'll join us
Will you take a stand, you're going to be criticized,
just make sure you're taking the right stay.
Speaker 2 (00:06):
Doctor Tony Evans reminds us that living for God means
choosing purpose over popularity.
Speaker 1 (00:11):
In other words, you will not be able to please everyone.
Don't please the Lord.
Speaker 2 (00:17):
This is the alternative broadcast featuring the timeless Biblical teachings
from the archives of doctor Tony Evans. There are times
when you try to fix what's broken, only to hear
people say it can't be done. But the apostle Paul
reminds us that if it's within the Lord's will, who
can be against us? Today Doctor Evan shows how faith
(00:39):
plays a crucial role in success when you're up against
worldly resistance and criticism. Let's join him in the Book
of Nehemiah. As he explains in chapter.
Speaker 1 (00:49):
Four, we learn a very valuable lesson. If you're going
to rebuild something that's broken, you're going to have to
have a faith that overcomes why because any time you
try to fix something that's broken, you're gonna be criticized.
In fact, you will find that when you are the
(01:10):
most determined to fix your life, fix your family, fix
your church, or fix your society, people you never even
knew are gonna show up to tell you why it
can't be done, shouldn't be done, or not be done,
could never be done, and you're fool for thinking that
it could be done. Neil Mayah in chapter three gets
(01:34):
the people together and does the main thing that must
be done to rebuild something that's broken, and that is
unite people around a single purpose. And let me define
what I said earlier so that you don't forget it.
Unity in the Bible does not mean saneness. You're not
unified because everybody's the same. You are unified because there's
(01:55):
oneness of purpose. Nel Mayah runs into brick destroyers in
chapter four, verse one. Now it came about that when
san Ballad heard that we were rebuilding the wall, he
became furious, very angry, and not the Jews. When the
word got out we were doing something. So now if
(02:18):
you're not doing something, the word will get out because
there's no word to get out. But now the word
was out that the Jews were finally to catch this,
taking responsibility for their own actions. People try to tear
down what you want to build up under God because
people are threatened. That was sam Balad's problem. He did
not want Israel to rebuild these walls because that would
(02:41):
make them strong again. And as long as they were weak,
he was strong. So some people have it as their
vested interest to keep you weak so that you don't
become as strong as they are. And then the final
reason that people criticize this traditionalism, they don't want change
because times changed, circumstances change, people change, attitude changes. You
(03:02):
must have change if you're going to have progress. That
does not mean all traditionalism is bad. It simply means
that certain traditions run their course. And so there is
san Ballad who pops up. Now San Ballad and his
friend are a formidable foe because what they do in
(03:23):
Versus two and three, if heap ridicule on them, to
put it in another way, they try to discourage them.
And he spoke in the presence of his brothers and
the wealthy men of Samaria, and said, what are these
feeble Jews doing? Are they going to restore it for themselves?
(03:43):
Can they offer sacrifices? Can they finish in a day?
Can they revive the stones from the dusty rubble, even
the burnt ones? And now Tobia the ammonite was near
him and said, even what they are building, if a
fox should jump on it, he would break their stone
wall down. The last thing you need are people sitting
on the sidelines telling you how big a job it
(04:06):
is and how much is going to take to complete it,
and you really can't do it. Listen, people can only
criticize you because you're doing something. If you're not getting criticized,
get worried. When you take a stand, you are going
to be criticized. Just make sure you're taking the right
stand and therefore being criticized for the right thing. You
(04:29):
ought to be criticized, because that means you're standing for something.
There's a story about criticism that illustrates this. The story
is told of an old man whose grandson wrote a
donkey while they were traveling from one city to another.
So they were traveling one city to another, and the
grandson was on the donkey. Okay, Well, as they passed
(04:51):
by some people, the grandfather heard the people say, would
you look at that that old man suffering on his
feet while that strong young boy is totally capable of walking.
So they heard the criticism, they said, well, let's change it.
So the old man rolled the donkey while the young
boy walked. But then they passed some more people who said,
(05:14):
where you look at that, that healthy man making that
poor boy suffer? Can you believe that? So they heard
that criticism, so they said, well, maybe are the changing.
So the man and the boy rode on the donkey.
They passed some more people said can you believe that?
(05:35):
Would you look at those heavy brutes making that poor
donkey suffer? So they both got off and they both
walked until they heard some more people say, would you
look at that way? A perfectly good donkey not being used?
(05:55):
Finally frustrated, the scene shifts and we see the boy
walking and the old man carrying the donkey. No matter
what you do, you can't please everybody. No matter what
you do, you can't satisfy everyone. I had a preacher
(06:21):
to tell me when I was coming into the ministry.
He said, boy, don't try to please all them people.
I said, well, why not? I need to please the flock,
he say, to a point, But he said, you got
all these personalities and all these people. Don't try to
please all these people. I said, but why not? He said,
because Jesus already died for them once. And if that
(06:43):
don't change them. It ain't no need for you dying
for me too. That's what he told me. That was
the advice I got. In other words, whereas you will
not be able to please everyone, so please the Lord.
(07:05):
In fact, you spind pardon the New Testament, saying it
matters not what you think when there is a clear
injunction from the Word of God. And so he begins
a rebuilding program. Well, what does Neamaiah do to this discouragement.
(07:28):
He does what he always does. First, he prays, I hope,
if you've learned anything through my lectures so far, you've
learned the primacy and priority of prayer. You do not
prayer after the mess. You pray first verse four, here o,
our God, how we are despised because the word had
(07:51):
gotten back to Israel. Return their approach upon their own
heads and give them up for plunder in a land
of captivity. Do not forgive their iniquity, and let not
their send me blotted out before the for they have
demoralized the builders. Before I say a word about this prayer, man,
(08:12):
I say a word about what he didn't do. You're
not gonna like this, but it's a great lesson to learn.
He did not retaliate. He could have said, you know,
what goes around comes around. He could have retaliated, say
(08:33):
you're talking about me, I'm gonna talk about you back.
Can I quote a verse to you? Vengeance is mine,
saith the Lord I will repay. Let me tell you
why it's important Verse. Once you do the repaying, you
(08:54):
cancel out divine vengeance. God says, well, since you're gonna
take care of it, you don't need me. He did
not retaliate. He called on the bengeful God said, here o, God,
they despise us. You take care of it.
Speaker 3 (09:14):
Now.
Speaker 1 (09:14):
Who can do this better? You? A God? See. But
because we don't believe God pays back, we think we
have to do it now. Don't get me wrong. He
doesn't do nothing. He does something. He prays, He gets
God on that case, and he calls on God in
what we call an impecatory prayer. In pecatory prayers the
(09:37):
prayers where you call down God's wrath. Now, there's a
lot of confusion about whether you pray impecatory prayers today undergrace,
And the answer is, under certain circumstances, you pray in
pecatory prayer when the name of God is being destroyed
by what people are attempting to do, which will destroy
the unified program of God and what he's seeking to build. First, Corindians,
(09:59):
chapter three, it says, anybody who destroyed the temple of
God by God will be destroyed. In other words, there's
certain things that you don't tolerate, and there's certain things
you call on God to deal with immediately. When there
are people trying to destroy God's name and God's character,
(10:20):
you say, Lord, save them or judge them, but do
something and make your name demonstrable in this world. And
in the circumstance you call on God. You call on
God to deal with people who has as their intent
to destroy the work of God. And I hope you
(10:42):
know it. Some people have that as their intent. They
want to break up your home, break up your life,
break up the church, keep the community community in a
disaster because they have no reference for God whatsoever. And
so he prays.
Speaker 2 (10:58):
When doctor Evans return in just a moment, he'll explain
how Neamiah's commitment to prayer and hard work led to victory. First, though,
I want to let you know that the lesson we're
hearing today is part of a powerful series taking us
through the Old Testament Book of Neemiah, a study that
goes far beyond ancient history. In this two volume, fifteen
(11:20):
lesson collection, doctor Evan shows how Neamiah's mission to rebuild
the walls of Jerusalem is a model for how God
wants to rebuild our lives, restore our communities, and renew
our faith. It's available right now as our thank you
gift when you make a contribution to support the Ministry
of the Alternative, and as an added bonus. Along with
(11:41):
the complete Neemiyah audio series, you'll also receive a copy
of doctor Evan's compelling book, One Nation Under God. It's
a timely resource that lays out a kingdom approach to
turning our culture around, starting not in Washington, but in
the hearts of God's people. Visit us today at Tonyevans
dot org to request this special package, or call us
(12:04):
at one eight hundred eight hundred thirty two twenty two
for assistance from our resource team. I'll have our contact
information for you again after part two of today's lesson,
and this I.
Speaker 4 (12:17):
Urge you to take this course.
Speaker 3 (12:18):
Doctor Craig Evans, renowned expert on the New Testament, serves
as the special guest lecturer for the Tony Evans Training
Center course on the Dead Sea Scrolls in the Bible.
Speaker 4 (12:26):
That covers very important ground what they are and what
they're not.
Speaker 3 (12:29):
One of the most significant archaeological finds of the twentieth century,
the Dead Sea Scrolls provide unparalleled insights into the accuracy
of the Bible. These ancient manuscripts offer a treasure trove
of historical and spiritual significance.
Speaker 4 (12:42):
They preserve for us the Hebrew Bible and shed light
on the teaching of Jesus and the major contributors to
the New Testament.
Speaker 3 (12:50):
The scrolls open a vivid window into the life and
beliefs of the Jewish people during the time of Jesus.
Speaker 4 (12:55):
You will understand the Bible and Jesus and Christian origins
better than you ever have before.
Speaker 3 (13:01):
Take your first step as an honorary amateur archaeologist. Dive
into the Dead Sea Scrolls with special guest lecturer Doctor
Craig Evans. Discover this and other fascinating Biblical studies at
Tony Evans Training dot Org.
Speaker 1 (13:13):
Explore the Kingdom anytime anywhere, so he doesn't retaliate, he
does pray, and Thirdly, he keeps on working verse six.
So we built the wall. The whole wall was joined
together to half its heights, for the people had a
mind to work. Because when people come together with a
mind to work, we got a different scenario. Now now
(13:36):
that people had a mind to work, and guess what,
the wall is half up. They built the whole wall
in fifty two days. So now we're in twenty six days.
Twenty six days, and a wall that had been down
for one hundred and fifty years is halfway up. But
you know, halfway can be the toughest spot to be.
Halfway back can be a tough place to be. So
(14:00):
he keeps on working. This leads to a conspiracy in
verse seven. It came about when san balad Tobia, the Arabs,
and Ammonites and the Astodites heard that the repair of
the walls Jerusalem went on and that their breaches began
to close. They were very angry that criticism didn't work.
(14:20):
What happened verse eight, and all of them conspired together
to come and fight against Jerusalem and to cause the
disturbance in it. They upped the ante. They now say, well,
look they're not letting our criticism work. Let's threaten them physically.
From verse nine, he says, we prayed to our God,
(14:44):
and because of them, we set up a god against
them day and night. Now what did they do? He
prayed and watched verse ten, we see they were struggling
because their burdens were failing. There was a lot of rubbish,
and we ourselves aren't able to build the rebuild wall.
There was just discouragement setting in and then verse eleven,
(15:04):
their fear that the enemies were going to come upon them.
So we now see that Neil Mayah sets in motion
a plan to address what's going on. And so in
verse thirteen, he stationed the people in the lowest part
(15:25):
of the space behind the wall, expose the places, and
stationed the people in families with their swords. Notice what
he said the verse fourteen, when I saw their fear,
and I rose up and spoke to the nobles, officials
and the rest of the people to not be afraid
of them. Remember the Lord. Now you know what they
can causes us to do. Forget the Lord. We take
(15:46):
it back to our own human initiative. He says, stop
thinking about them, start thinking about the Lord, who is
great and awesome. Remember, we saw that in verse one.
Think about the Lord. He's great and he's awesome. One
of my kids were telling me I can't do this algebra.
I say, let's change that right now. No, I do
(16:08):
not know now how to do this algebra. I am
sure the educational information is out there so I can
do this algebra. So where do I need to go
from where I am to where I need to be
to be able to do the algebra and make an
a while doing it? See, because that changes your mind.
So now that may mean tutoring after school, that may
mean getting with the teacher, that may mean a lot
(16:28):
of things. But let's those say I can't do the algebra.
Let's say I haven't not stood it yet. You know.
The first American steamboat took thirty two hours to go
from New York to Albany. People laughed. The horse and
buggy passed the early motor car as if it was
still standing still, and it usually was. People laughed. The
(16:51):
first electric bull was so dim people had to use
a gas lamp to see it. People laughed. The first
app plane came down in fifty nine seconds after they
left the ground. People laughed, Oh, but we fly today,
we drive today. The boats move across the water fast. Today.
People are always gonna laugh when you have a dream.
(17:15):
Let's come to a conclusion here for the day. He
comes up with a plan. Please notice the universe fourteen
the plans around their families. I'm concerned about what am
I going to get out of the deal? He says.
You got a wife, what about her? You've got kids?
What about them? You know couples get divorced and they say,
(17:35):
well what about the kids? Well, I can't think about
their kids. I gotta think about me. Well, if you
could forget you long enough, we can fix the wife
and kids, and then they'll be in a better position
to fix you. You say, but I'm miserable. Of course you're miserable.
Now we know the problem. Let's talk about what we're
(17:57):
gonna do about it. I don't keep repeating the problem.
I'm miserable. I'm miserable. I'm miserable. I'm miserable. All right,
we all agree it is unanimous. You're miserable. Now what
we're gonna do to fix your misery? And so he says,
think about other people. You've got a family here, You've
got other people involved in this deal. You don't want
(18:19):
to fight, but you got your wives and your children's
lives at state, And so he gives them a bigger
vision verse fifteen. And it happened when our enemies heard
that it was known to us and that God had
frustrated their plan. Who frustrated that plan? God, God had
frustrated that plan. Because he prayed God let him know
(18:40):
what the plan was. God gave him a solution. But
he still used people with their own armament, and all
of that. He uses human effort. But it is God
who brings it about. And then all of us returned
to the wall, each one to his work came about
from that day on. Half my servants carried the work,
while half of them held the fields. That we're gonna
(19:02):
build this wall. If you're gonna do something for God,
if we're gonna revitalize the community in which we live,
we're gonna have to make an investment that's unified. We're
gonna have to say that we can do it, that
we can turn it around, that we can make a difference.
If we're gonna rebuild our homes, we have to be determined,
and we're gonna have to set up a plan. So
(19:22):
many people want to lock their way into success. Doesn't
happen that way. You have to have a plan. You
have to have a plan that you're pursuing. And so
he comes to the conclusion here and he says, in
the verse twenty our God will fight for us. Has
(19:44):
God ever fought for you? There's nothing like God fighting
for you, Because when God fights for you, that's the
only way you can explain to win. In fact, being
put in possible situations where there's no human solution. I
(20:05):
like that because then I can say, God, stretch your stuff.
I like that because then I can call on God
to do the supernatural. So many of us never see
the supernatural because we do the fighting for ourselves. He says,
our God will fight for us. So we verse twenty
one carried on the work with half of them holding
the spears from dawn till the star of the peer.
(20:29):
The Bible says in Roman day thirty one, if God
before us, who can be against us? The result of
the work was that they were going to be protected,
protected from outside enemies that we're going to destroy them.
So let me ask in conclusion, what's trying to destroy
(20:51):
your life, your family, what's trying to destroy our church,
and what's destroying our community. On a personal basis, it
may be drugs, sexual immorality. It could be any number
of things that's destroying your life. On a family basis,
(21:14):
personality conflicts, how you were raised, how your wife was raised,
vice versa. Could be any number of influence could be
your children. Church, the always people who come into the
church to try to cause division. By the way, you
can always tell, ask a person who's criticized me, what
are they doing. Too many lives are being broken, and
(21:37):
even if you don't feel it directly, it'll influence you
one way or another because it's gonna spill over to
your life or your family. And so that's why we
must have a unified coalition to make a difference. And
I found out something the other day about icebergs. No
matter how much the wind is blowing, icebergs will never
(21:57):
be pushed in the direction of the wind, but will
always glide in the other direction. Why because the karrent
of the water is stronger than the power of the wind.
And you know another thing about icebergs, The water has
access the most of it. For nine tests of the
iceberg is underwater. See, most of us are reacting to
(22:18):
the winds of life that are blowing against us when
we've got the karrent of God's power available to us.
So you don't have to go with the wind. If
you flow with the kart. I don't know what the
wind of this world is doing to you today, and
I don't know what the wind of this world is pushing.
You're telling you you can't make it. You're never gonna
(22:39):
be anything, and you're never gonna become anything, and you're
never gonna get anywhere, and that marriage can't be saved,
and those children can't be changed, and you know you
can't make anything in yourself, and you can't. You can't,
you can't, you can't. You're listening to the wind. You're
not flowing with the kart, because when you flow with
the Karrent, you understand that he that is in you
is greater than he that is in the.
Speaker 2 (23:05):
Doctor Tony Evans reminding us that no matter what the
world says, our victory comes from the power of the
one who lives within us.
Speaker 1 (23:15):
Now.
Speaker 2 (23:15):
The message we heard today was called the Faith that
Overcomes and as part of Tony's powerful series from Nehemiah,
A fifteen lesson Journey through Leadership perseverance and spiritual renewal.
It's a reminder that God can rebuild what's broken in
our lives, just as he did in Jerusalem in Nehemiah's day.
We'd love to send you the complete series on digital
(23:37):
download as well as in a CD album or USB
thumb drive. There are thank you gift when you make
a donation to support the ministry of the Alternative, and
for a limited time, we'll also include Tony's insightful book,
One Nation Under God, offering a Kingdom perspective on how
believers can impact our nation for good. Evans dot org
(24:01):
today to request this special double offer, or call one
eight hundred eight hundred thirty two twenty two. Again, that's
Tonyevans dot org or by phone at one eight hundred
eight hundred three two two two. When Nehemiah set out
to rebuild the broken down walls of Jerusalem, he wasn't
(24:22):
just taking on a construction project. He was calling God's
people to rebuild their spiritual foundation. Tomorrow, doctor Evans will
explore the importance of believers recognizing and responding to God's priorities.
I hope you'll join us
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
On Purpose with Jay Shetty
I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!