Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
If your life collapsed the day and you said, law
remember you, what would he remember?
Speaker 2 (00:05):
Doctor Tony Evans says, the choices we make now shape
what God remembers later, and that memory determines how He
moves in our lives.
Speaker 1 (00:13):
Because you know, whether it's business of sociology or politics,
the ultimate issue is what God remembers.
Speaker 2 (00:19):
This is the alternative broadcast featuring the timeless Biblical teachings
from the archives of doctor Tony Evans. When Neemiah set
out to rebuild the broken down walls of Jerusalem, he
wasn't just taking on a construction project. He was calling
God's people to rebuild their spiritual foundation. Today, doctor Evans
(00:40):
takes us to Nehemiah chapter five, where we'll discover that
the biggest threat to progress wasn't from outside opposition. Let's
listen in as he highlights the importance of recognizing God's priorities.
Speaker 1 (00:53):
Neemiah is trying to do an impossible task, for he
is seeking to rebuild the community of Jerusalem, and he
is attempting to do it theocratically, that is, based on
divine perspective. Rebuilding the walls had much more to do
(01:21):
with brick and mortar than just with brick and mortar,
but with rebuilding a people who had become dehumanized, who
had become desperate. On last time, we looked at chapter
four and we saw the external problem, that is the
problem from without enemies who are trying to destroy the
(01:44):
people's will to change. But today we want to look
at the internal problem. It primarily revolved around money. What
was the problem here? We hear it in verse two.
There were those who said, we our sons and daughters
are many, therefore, let us get grain that we may
(02:06):
eat and live. So one problem was there was object poverty.
Large families who were living there who were not economically stable.
They didn't have food to eat because they were involved
with what the group was involved with. They were not
able to sufficiently sustain themselves. So one problem you had
(02:29):
in the community of God's people was the problem of
the poor. So the Bible is clear on the issue,
and that is that people are to make sure that
the poor of their community are taken care of. Second
problem is recorded for us in verse three, and there
(02:50):
were others who said, we are mortgaging our fields and
our vineyards and our houses that we might get grain
because of the family Thirdly, versus four and five, there
were those who said, this is another group.
Speaker 3 (03:07):
We have borrowed money for the.
Speaker 1 (03:09):
King's tax so now you have governmental taxation. And the
taxes were so high that they had to borrow money
to pay them. So the third problem is that profiteering
Jews sees the opportunity to make money by charging exorbitant
(03:31):
interest rates on loans made to their Jewish brothers so
that they could pay their taxes. If there was, listen
to me, now ever a time not to build it now,
If there were ever a time not to invest your energies,
your time, your talent, and your resources to.
Speaker 3 (03:53):
Erect a wall around Jerusalem, it's now.
Speaker 1 (03:57):
Now is the time to back on from making the
kind of investment of time, energy and resources because guess
what a lot of people are poor. Guess what, We've
got a famine we can't control. Guess what taxes are
going up? And I'm in debt. If ever there was
a time to back away, it's now. However, that's not
(04:21):
near Mayah's philosophy. Nel Mayah understood a very central philosophy
of life.
Speaker 3 (04:30):
Here.
Speaker 1 (04:30):
It is the reason that you're poor, the reason that
you have a famine, The reason that you're in debt
and the reason that the tax base is as high
as it is is because you left God in the
first place. If you hadn't left God, you wouldn't be
in Persia. And if you wouldn't be in Persia, you
(04:52):
wouldn't be dealing with the king taxes. If you hadn't
left God, you wouldn't then have to make high interest
loans to on the King's tax. If you hadn't left God,
you would not be a debtor community. You would be
an empowered loader community. If you hadn't left God, the
poor of Jerusalem would have been taken care of for
(05:14):
the rich would have set gleaning fields and made available
access so that the poor would have opportunity for stability
and economic development. So the reason you got to get
the spiritual thing straight up front is because you solve
your problem by building the wall. You don't save your
problem by not building it.
Speaker 3 (05:35):
When you have.
Speaker 1 (05:36):
An economic depreciating community, it is because you have a sinful, connal,
ungodly community. Because God's promise in the Old Testament and
the New Testament is always to meet the need of
his people. These people's needs were not being met, and
(05:57):
it was because of a spiritual thing to the rebuilding
of the wall was more than a building of a
bricks and mortar or building in facilities. It was getting
the people's spiritual priorities straight. As a nation, we have
become a detonation long term, predominantly because we've left God's
(06:19):
blueprint of economics.
Speaker 3 (06:21):
I mean, it's as simple as that. The problem is we.
Speaker 1 (06:25):
Have spiritually warped values in our spending habits, and therefore
we poll. Now, don't get me wrong, I want to
be inextricably clear here that I am one of the
biggest antagonists going. And you've heard me enough to notice
against this get rich quick scheme kind of stuff that
(06:48):
a lot of preachers promulgate, where God is your genie
and all he does is, you know, write checks when
you pray. Well, that's a lie. There are always different
strata in a society, but that's different than exploitation. That's
different than unrighteousness. And that's what was a caring here.
So Neil Mayer had to come, and he had the
(07:10):
risk being misunderstood to address the people and say, if
you get your divine frame of reference right, i e.
Rebuilding the wall, We're going to solve your economics.
Speaker 3 (07:22):
In the process, what do we do.
Speaker 1 (07:26):
We try to throve our economics and if we have
time left over, we get stuff right with God. It's
after our ship has come in. It's after we've gotten
our pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.
It's after we've got our promotion that we want to
build the walls of our spiritual life, build the walls
of putting our family life back together, and then build
the walls of our church life and then revitalize our community.
Speaker 3 (07:50):
That's backwards.
Speaker 1 (07:52):
No, no, no, You don't get your career right and
then get your spiritual life right. You get your spiritual
life right so God can make an investment in your career.
You don't make your money and then get your family stable,
because by the time you made your money, there will
be no family.
Speaker 3 (08:08):
To get stable. You don't do that.
Speaker 1 (08:14):
You don't go out, and you don't leave the ministry
of the church to last while you do everything else first.
Speaker 3 (08:20):
You prioritize that. You don't wait till later.
Speaker 1 (08:26):
And even in community life, you don't wait until until
the community dissipates and then say I'm gonna fix it. No, no,
you make your difference out by putting God out front,
out front. So in the worst of times, Nea Mine says,
let's rebuild. Let's rebuild when it's a mess, because only
(08:50):
by getting God in this right place can we make
it a miracle. And that's why there's so many miserable
people with money. Yeah, they've gotten their potigold at the
end of the rainbow. Problem is it still raiding?
Speaker 3 (09:09):
All right?
Speaker 1 (09:10):
Another problem in verse five, by the way, folks, is
they had to sell their sons and daughters into slavery.
Speaker 3 (09:18):
You know what that means. That means there was no legacy.
There was no legacy. Their mess up priority had ruined
the next generation because as a.
Speaker 1 (09:30):
Generation out there who have been sold into bondage, they
had been sold into social bondage, moral bondage, economic bondage,
and their parents sold them Verse five. The parents sold
them in the slavery. Why they gave up their kids
(09:51):
so that the parents could.
Speaker 3 (09:52):
Do what they want to do.
Speaker 1 (09:54):
Yes, they gave up their children so that they could
take care of their economic Yes, they were too busy
to invest in the welfare of the generation to come,
So the kids were in slavery. Neil Mayah understood, you
can't build Jerusalem. If the kids are shipped off in slavery,
(10:17):
if the kids are in bondage. He understood there is
no community future because there is no family stability. And
that's why I say to you what near Mayah said earlier.
He said, fight for your family and fight for your
loved ones.
Speaker 3 (10:34):
You have to fight.
Speaker 1 (10:35):
I mean, we're talking about a war here. You gotta fight.
I mean to save your kids, you gotta fight. And
then when you want to quit, you gotta fight, because
that's the way it is in war. You don't get
a lot of sleep in war.
Speaker 3 (10:48):
And we in a war. We in a war.
Speaker 1 (10:52):
And when your children go left, you gotta fight and
go get them and put them back, and they go
left again, you gotta fight again, because it's a fight.
Speaker 2 (11:01):
When doctor Evans returns in just a moment, he'll explore
the power of righteous indignation. As Nehemiah confronts the issues
at hand, don't go away.
Speaker 1 (11:11):
Far too many of us want to throw in the
towel before we've thrown up the prayers.
Speaker 4 (11:16):
Doctor Tony Evans says Christians have a habit of under
using or overlooking our most valuable spiritual resource.
Speaker 1 (11:23):
Grace is available, but only at the Throne, and you
can only approach the Throne through prayer.
Speaker 4 (11:30):
You can deepen your connection with the Lord through our
in depth course on Kingdom Prayer at the Tony Evans
Training Center. You'll discover how God has wired the world
to work by prayer, and experience for yourself how it
connects Heaven with Earth and time with eternity. You'll not
only gain a new understanding and appreciation for prayer, you'll
(11:51):
actually pray in transforming ways you've never experienced before. The
course is intense, but you can work through it at
your own face and get all the help you need
through our online form. And of course there's custom content
from Tony not available anywhere else. Connect with the Tony
Evans Training Center at Tonyevans dot org. It's like having
(12:13):
a seminary on your smartphone or other device. Start today
Tonyevans dot org.
Speaker 2 (12:19):
Today's message comes from doctor Evans comprehensive fifteen lesson study
on the Book of Nehemiah. The story of Nehemiah isn't
just about rebuilding a city's walls. It's about restoring lives,
strengthening faith, and stepping boldly into God's calling. Through this series,
Tony is uncovering practical insights on leadership, perseverance, and spiritual renewal,
(12:43):
lessons that apply to your personal walk with God, your family,
and even your community. We'd love to give you the
complete collection of messages as our gift on digital download
and either CD or USB thumb drive when you make
a donation to the Ministry of the Own Alternative and
as an added bonus, will also include a copy of
(13:04):
doctor Evans's powerful book, One Nation Under God. If you're
concerned about the direction our country is headed, this book
reveals what you can do about it, not through politics,
but through a kingdom approach that aligns with God's principles.
Visit us today at Tonyevans dot org or call us
at one eight hundred eight hundred thirty two twenty two.
(13:27):
Make your contribution and let us send you the Nehemiah
audio series along with Tony's book, One Nation Under God.
I'll repeat that contact information for you after part two
of today's lesson, here's Tony once again.
Speaker 1 (13:41):
Well, Naby, here's the problem, Verse six. Then I was
very angry. I wasn't angry. I was very angry when
I heard the outcry and these words there is a
time to be angry. This is called righteous indignation. Now
(14:01):
what was he mad at? Was he mad that the
nobles were making money. There's another misunderstanding. There is no
command in the Bible about shall not make a profit.
It's okay to make a profit, but you cannot make
a profit by exploitation.
Speaker 3 (14:20):
That's what you cannot do.
Speaker 1 (14:23):
You can't make a profit by greed, that's what you
cannot do. You cannot rip off other people to increase
your piggybang. You can legitimately do business. In fact, Jesus says,
do business till I come. But what you can't do
is exploit people to do business. They were exacting and
it confronts them. In fact, it was a terrible meeting
(14:47):
because he didn't just meet, he says, they contended. The
nobles sat on one side and say, listen, this is
our money. We're gonna do what we want. This is
our business, this is our stuff. Don't tell us what
to do. You just go back to your governorship. But
you're not telling us what to do. The Persian King
didn't send you down here for you to get in
our business.
Speaker 3 (15:08):
The meeting produced nothing.
Speaker 1 (15:10):
There was a standoff in the meeting, So what a
naamayah do? Verse seven says, I held a great assembly
against them. Since the private meeting didn't work, he called
the whole congregation. He said, church, to use old Testament terminology,
congregation come. He said, how can you call a congregational
(15:34):
meeting about the way a man does his business? Because
when you name the name of Jesus Christ, you don't
just do business. You represent the glory of God. And
if you're exploring people that to sin, well, he calls
a meeting. He contends with them publicly verse eight, and
I said to them, we, according to our ability, have
(15:59):
redeemed Jewish brothers who are sold to the nations. Now,
would you even sell your brothers that they may be
sold to us? He now talked about redemption, to redeem this,
to buy back. He says, a lot of your brothers
were sold to slave masters who aren't part of the
(16:19):
coven in the community, and we had.
Speaker 3 (16:21):
To go put our money on the line and buy
them back.
Speaker 1 (16:24):
And now they're in the family of God, and you're
gonna put them into slavery again, so that we don't
have to just buy them back from the sinners. Now
we got to come and buy them back.
Speaker 3 (16:34):
From the saints.
Speaker 1 (16:36):
What he's said is as supposed to be a marked
difference for how you relate in the family of God,
then how you relate to the secular dog eat dogs.
I don't care profit only secular world order. There ought
to be a difference, he says, And so Nea Mayah said,
these nobles need to be addressed. Near Mayah instituted a
(16:59):
buy back program. See, whenever you lose something that you
ought to have, you got to have a redemption program.
That's what God did with you on Calvary. He brought
you back. He lost you in the garden of Eden,
and he brought you back. Well, that's not the only
kind of buy back. That's economic buy back. There must
(17:21):
be if we're going to save our cities and our communities,
a redemption program where people stop ripping off people because
they're people of God.
Speaker 3 (17:30):
To take up the slack and buy back they redeemed.
Speaker 1 (17:36):
We have a generation of children who need to be
bought back. They need to be redeemed. You don't quit
on them, You try to buy them back. Some of
your wives need a redemption program in your home. Some
of your husbands need a redemption program in your home.
You've lost your wife, You've sold her in the slavery.
You've lost your husband. You've sold them in the slavery.
You forced them out by your life. You don't quit
(17:58):
and say bygones, be bye.
Speaker 3 (18:00):
Guards.
Speaker 1 (18:00):
You buy back and buy back takes investment Virgin eleven.
Speaker 3 (18:07):
Please give back to them this very day.
Speaker 1 (18:09):
Their fields, their vineyards, their olive grows, and their houses.
Also the one hundredth part of the money that's twelve
percent annum, and.
Speaker 3 (18:20):
Of the grain, the new wine, and the oil that.
Speaker 1 (18:24):
You are exacting from them, he says, give them back
what you stole.
Speaker 3 (18:28):
And the interest payments. What is this. This is the
principle of restitution.
Speaker 1 (18:34):
You'll get it fixed, honey. I've ignored you for five years.
Speaker 3 (18:39):
So what I want to do.
Speaker 1 (18:40):
It's been the next five years making you never know
that you lost the.
Speaker 3 (18:43):
Last five years. It's restitution.
Speaker 1 (18:46):
It is taking responsibility to fix what was broken. Said.
You don't just say I'm sorry, it'll never happen again.
Speaker 3 (18:55):
Fix the mess.
Speaker 1 (18:57):
So they said, we will give back and will require
nothing from them.
Speaker 3 (19:03):
We will do exactly as you say. So they obeyed.
Speaker 1 (19:07):
Neilmiah concludes in verses fourteen through nineteen reflecting on his
own leadership because if he sees the nobles live this way,
he's had to make sure that he's been in shape.
And then he looks over his twelve year career and
concludes that he has honored the word of God. He reflects,
He says, and from that day I was appointed governing
(19:27):
the land of Judah. Remember me, Oh, God, for good
according to all that I have done for this people. Oh.
If there's any prayer you want to be able to
pray is remember me. Yes, one day your world is
gonna collapse. I can guarantee it. One day your world
(19:50):
is gonna break down. Things are not gonna go right.
It might be economic breakdown, it might be family breakdown,
it might be personal breakdown.
Speaker 3 (20:00):
But you want to be able to say, Lord remember me. Now.
Speaker 1 (20:04):
My question is if your life collapsed today and you
said Lord remember you, what would he remember? Will he
remember the good that you did? When he looked down
and say, yeah, I remember you.
Speaker 3 (20:16):
You were faithful. When you did have what you had,
you used it for my glory.
Speaker 1 (20:22):
You prioritize me, You served people, You weren't selfish. You
honored me with your lifestyle. And when you blew it,
you were willing to acknowledge it a sin. I remember
you what you need when you call on God? How
is he gonna remember you? Because you know, whether it's
business or sociology or politics or whatever, it is, the
(20:45):
ultimate issue is what God remembers. A young concert violinist
was playing one day. Everybody was getting excited as he
did his closing number, and he ended his closing number
with a bang, and all the people stood up and
applauded and said.
Speaker 3 (21:03):
Bravo, bravo, bravo.
Speaker 1 (21:07):
As the people clapped, he began to tear up in
his eyes. As the applause began to die, and old
man sitting up in the balcony stood up and began
to clap. As the old man stood up and began
to clap, the young man's smile came back on his face.
(21:30):
He wiped the tears from his eyes. He smiled and held.
Speaker 3 (21:35):
Up his vollin and walked off the stage.
Speaker 1 (21:39):
A man in the wing said, sir, how come you
were sad when the people stood up, but when the
old man stood up you got glad again? He said,
because the old man was my violin teacher. He says,
and unless he stood up, it would have been a
failure because he's the only one who knows the nuances.
(22:02):
He's the only one who knows exactly how the peace
is supposed to go. So it doesn't matter what a
thousand people say. I want to know is my teacher
gonna stand. You may all stand and clap it one
of my sermons, but I want to know is God
standing this morning? Your family may stand at what you're doing,
(22:23):
but you want to know is God standing? Because guess what.
If God isn't standing, you ain't done nothing. If God
isn't standing, you haven't done anything. If God is not well, please,
you are in a business failure. So we shall all
stand before the judgment seat of Christ, and each man
shall receive that which he has done in his body,
(22:44):
whether it be good or bad. Listen, don't be worried
about whether folks stand, don't be worried about whether folk applaud.
Speaker 3 (22:52):
Make sure though on judgment date.
Speaker 1 (22:54):
Jesus Christ stands and says.
Speaker 3 (22:56):
Well done, my good and faithful.
Speaker 2 (22:58):
Servant, Doctor Tony Evans, encouraging us to live for the
approval of Heaven, not the applause of earth. Now, today's
lesson called a Cry for Justice is part of Tony's
study from the Old Testament Book of Nehemiah. As I
mentioned earlier, all fifteen full length messages in this sermon
(23:20):
collection can be yours with our thanks. If you'll make
a donation to help us keep presenting these life changing messages,
you'll receive the complete two volume series on digital download
as well as either CD or USB thumb drive, and
as a special bonus, you'll also receive Tony's thought provoking
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(23:43):
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That's one eight hundred eight hundred three two two two,
Or make the arrange and get your digital downloads right
away at Tonyevans dot org. Again, that's Tonyevans dot org.
(24:09):
When God has called you to do something great, the
enemy's goal is simple to get you to stop. On Monday,
doctor Evans will show us what happened when Nehemiah was
just steps away from finishing the wall, and how the
enemy's strategy suddenly shifted from sabotage to smooth talk. It's
a reminder that sometimes the most dangerous invitation you can
(24:32):
receive is the one that sounds the most reasonable. Be
sure to join us for that
If your life collapsed the day and you said, law
remember you, what would he remember?
Speaker 2 (00:05):
Doctor Tony Evans says, the choices we make now shape
what God remembers later, and that memory determines how He
moves in our lives.
Speaker 1 (00:13):
Because you know, whether it's business of sociology or politics,
the ultimate issue is what God remembers.
Speaker 2 (00:19):
This is the alternative broadcast featuring the timeless Biblical teachings
from the archives of doctor Tony Evans. When Neemiah set
out to rebuild the broken down walls of Jerusalem, he
wasn't just taking on a construction project. He was calling
God's people to rebuild their spiritual foundation. Today, doctor Evans
(00:40):
takes us to Nehemiah chapter five, where we'll discover that
the biggest threat to progress wasn't from outside opposition. Let's
listen in as he highlights the importance of recognizing God's priorities.
Speaker 1 (00:53):
Neemiah is trying to do an impossible task, for he
is seeking to rebuild the community of Jerusalem, and he
is attempting to do it theocratically, that is, based on
divine perspective. Rebuilding the walls had much more to do
(01:21):
with brick and mortar than just with brick and mortar,
but with rebuilding a people who had become dehumanized, who
had become desperate. On last time, we looked at chapter
four and we saw the external problem, that is the
problem from without enemies who are trying to destroy the
(01:44):
people's will to change. But today we want to look
at the internal problem. It primarily revolved around money. What
was the problem here? We hear it in verse two.
There were those who said, we our sons and daughters
are many, therefore, let us get grain that we may
(02:06):
eat and live. So one problem was there was object poverty.
Large families who were living there who were not economically stable.
They didn't have food to eat because they were involved
with what the group was involved with. They were not
able to sufficiently sustain themselves. So one problem you had
(02:29):
in the community of God's people was the problem of
the poor. So the Bible is clear on the issue,
and that is that people are to make sure that
the poor of their community are taken care of. Second
problem is recorded for us in verse three, and there
(02:50):
were others who said, we are mortgaging our fields and
our vineyards and our houses that we might get grain
because of the family Thirdly, versus four and five, there
were those who said, this is another group.
Speaker 3 (03:07):
We have borrowed money for the.
Speaker 1 (03:09):
King's tax so now you have governmental taxation. And the
taxes were so high that they had to borrow money
to pay them. So the third problem is that profiteering
Jews sees the opportunity to make money by charging exorbitant
(03:31):
interest rates on loans made to their Jewish brothers so
that they could pay their taxes. If there was, listen
to me, now ever a time not to build it now,
If there were ever a time not to invest your energies,
your time, your talent, and your resources to.
Speaker 3 (03:53):
Erect a wall around Jerusalem, it's now.
Speaker 1 (03:57):
Now is the time to back on from making the
kind of investment of time, energy and resources because guess
what a lot of people are poor. Guess what, We've
got a famine we can't control. Guess what taxes are
going up? And I'm in debt. If ever there was
a time to back away, it's now. However, that's not
(04:21):
near Mayah's philosophy. Nel Mayah understood a very central philosophy
of life.
Speaker 3 (04:30):
Here.
Speaker 1 (04:30):
It is the reason that you're poor, the reason that
you have a famine, The reason that you're in debt
and the reason that the tax base is as high
as it is is because you left God in the
first place. If you hadn't left God, you wouldn't be
in Persia. And if you wouldn't be in Persia, you
(04:52):
wouldn't be dealing with the king taxes. If you hadn't
left God, you wouldn't then have to make high interest
loans to on the King's tax. If you hadn't left God,
you would not be a debtor community. You would be
an empowered loader community. If you hadn't left God, the
poor of Jerusalem would have been taken care of for
(05:14):
the rich would have set gleaning fields and made available
access so that the poor would have opportunity for stability
and economic development. So the reason you got to get
the spiritual thing straight up front is because you solve
your problem by building the wall. You don't save your
problem by not building it.
Speaker 3 (05:35):
When you have.
Speaker 1 (05:36):
An economic depreciating community, it is because you have a sinful, connal,
ungodly community. Because God's promise in the Old Testament and
the New Testament is always to meet the need of
his people. These people's needs were not being met, and
(05:57):
it was because of a spiritual thing to the rebuilding
of the wall was more than a building of a
bricks and mortar or building in facilities. It was getting
the people's spiritual priorities straight. As a nation, we have
become a detonation long term, predominantly because we've left God's
(06:19):
blueprint of economics.
Speaker 3 (06:21):
I mean, it's as simple as that. The problem is we.
Speaker 1 (06:25):
Have spiritually warped values in our spending habits, and therefore
we poll. Now, don't get me wrong, I want to
be inextricably clear here that I am one of the
biggest antagonists going. And you've heard me enough to notice
against this get rich quick scheme kind of stuff that
(06:48):
a lot of preachers promulgate, where God is your genie
and all he does is, you know, write checks when
you pray. Well, that's a lie. There are always different
strata in a society, but that's different than exploitation. That's
different than unrighteousness. And that's what was a caring here.
So Neil Mayer had to come, and he had the
(07:10):
risk being misunderstood to address the people and say, if
you get your divine frame of reference right, i e.
Rebuilding the wall, We're going to solve your economics.
Speaker 3 (07:22):
In the process, what do we do.
Speaker 1 (07:26):
We try to throve our economics and if we have
time left over, we get stuff right with God. It's
after our ship has come in. It's after we've gotten
our pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.
It's after we've got our promotion that we want to
build the walls of our spiritual life, build the walls
of putting our family life back together, and then build
the walls of our church life and then revitalize our community.
Speaker 3 (07:50):
That's backwards.
Speaker 1 (07:52):
No, no, no, You don't get your career right and
then get your spiritual life right. You get your spiritual
life right so God can make an investment in your career.
You don't make your money and then get your family stable,
because by the time you made your money, there will
be no family.
Speaker 3 (08:08):
To get stable. You don't do that.
Speaker 1 (08:14):
You don't go out, and you don't leave the ministry
of the church to last while you do everything else first.
Speaker 3 (08:20):
You prioritize that. You don't wait till later.
Speaker 1 (08:26):
And even in community life, you don't wait until until
the community dissipates and then say I'm gonna fix it. No, no,
you make your difference out by putting God out front,
out front. So in the worst of times, Nea Mine says,
let's rebuild. Let's rebuild when it's a mess, because only
(08:50):
by getting God in this right place can we make
it a miracle. And that's why there's so many miserable
people with money. Yeah, they've gotten their potigold at the
end of the rainbow. Problem is it still raiding?
Speaker 3 (09:09):
All right?
Speaker 1 (09:10):
Another problem in verse five, by the way, folks, is
they had to sell their sons and daughters into slavery.
Speaker 3 (09:18):
You know what that means. That means there was no legacy.
There was no legacy. Their mess up priority had ruined
the next generation because as a.
Speaker 1 (09:30):
Generation out there who have been sold into bondage, they
had been sold into social bondage, moral bondage, economic bondage,
and their parents sold them Verse five. The parents sold
them in the slavery. Why they gave up their kids
(09:51):
so that the parents could.
Speaker 3 (09:52):
Do what they want to do.
Speaker 1 (09:54):
Yes, they gave up their children so that they could
take care of their economic Yes, they were too busy
to invest in the welfare of the generation to come,
So the kids were in slavery. Neil Mayah understood, you
can't build Jerusalem. If the kids are shipped off in slavery,
(10:17):
if the kids are in bondage. He understood there is
no community future because there is no family stability. And
that's why I say to you what near Mayah said earlier.
He said, fight for your family and fight for your
loved ones.
Speaker 3 (10:34):
You have to fight.
Speaker 1 (10:35):
I mean, we're talking about a war here. You gotta fight.
I mean to save your kids, you gotta fight. And
then when you want to quit, you gotta fight, because
that's the way it is in war. You don't get
a lot of sleep in war.
Speaker 3 (10:48):
And we in a war. We in a war.
Speaker 1 (10:52):
And when your children go left, you gotta fight and
go get them and put them back, and they go
left again, you gotta fight again, because it's a fight.
Speaker 2 (11:01):
When doctor Evans returns in just a moment, he'll explore
the power of righteous indignation. As Nehemiah confronts the issues
at hand, don't go away.
Speaker 1 (11:11):
Far too many of us want to throw in the
towel before we've thrown up the prayers.
Speaker 4 (11:16):
Doctor Tony Evans says Christians have a habit of under
using or overlooking our most valuable spiritual resource.
Speaker 1 (11:23):
Grace is available, but only at the Throne, and you
can only approach the Throne through prayer.
Speaker 4 (11:30):
You can deepen your connection with the Lord through our
in depth course on Kingdom Prayer at the Tony Evans
Training Center. You'll discover how God has wired the world
to work by prayer, and experience for yourself how it
connects Heaven with Earth and time with eternity. You'll not
only gain a new understanding and appreciation for prayer, you'll
(11:51):
actually pray in transforming ways you've never experienced before. The
course is intense, but you can work through it at
your own face and get all the help you need
through our online form. And of course there's custom content
from Tony not available anywhere else. Connect with the Tony
Evans Training Center at Tonyevans dot org. It's like having
(12:13):
a seminary on your smartphone or other device. Start today
Tonyevans dot org.
Speaker 2 (12:19):
Today's message comes from doctor Evans comprehensive fifteen lesson study
on the Book of Nehemiah. The story of Nehemiah isn't
just about rebuilding a city's walls. It's about restoring lives,
strengthening faith, and stepping boldly into God's calling. Through this series,
Tony is uncovering practical insights on leadership, perseverance, and spiritual renewal,
(12:43):
lessons that apply to your personal walk with God, your family,
and even your community. We'd love to give you the
complete collection of messages as our gift on digital download
and either CD or USB thumb drive when you make
a donation to the Ministry of the Own Alternative and
as an added bonus, will also include a copy of
(13:04):
doctor Evans's powerful book, One Nation Under God. If you're
concerned about the direction our country is headed, this book
reveals what you can do about it, not through politics,
but through a kingdom approach that aligns with God's principles.
Visit us today at Tonyevans dot org or call us
at one eight hundred eight hundred thirty two twenty two.
(13:27):
Make your contribution and let us send you the Nehemiah
audio series along with Tony's book, One Nation Under God.
I'll repeat that contact information for you after part two
of today's lesson, here's Tony once again.
Speaker 1 (13:41):
Well, Naby, here's the problem, Verse six. Then I was
very angry. I wasn't angry. I was very angry when
I heard the outcry and these words there is a
time to be angry. This is called righteous indignation. Now
(14:01):
what was he mad at? Was he mad that the
nobles were making money. There's another misunderstanding. There is no
command in the Bible about shall not make a profit.
It's okay to make a profit, but you cannot make
a profit by exploitation.
Speaker 3 (14:20):
That's what you cannot do.
Speaker 1 (14:23):
You can't make a profit by greed, that's what you
cannot do. You cannot rip off other people to increase
your piggybang. You can legitimately do business. In fact, Jesus says,
do business till I come. But what you can't do
is exploit people to do business. They were exacting and
it confronts them. In fact, it was a terrible meeting
(14:47):
because he didn't just meet, he says, they contended. The
nobles sat on one side and say, listen, this is
our money. We're gonna do what we want. This is
our business, this is our stuff. Don't tell us what
to do. You just go back to your governorship. But
you're not telling us what to do. The Persian King
didn't send you down here for you to get in
our business.
Speaker 3 (15:08):
The meeting produced nothing.
Speaker 1 (15:10):
There was a standoff in the meeting, So what a
naamayah do? Verse seven says, I held a great assembly
against them. Since the private meeting didn't work, he called
the whole congregation. He said, church, to use old Testament terminology,
congregation come. He said, how can you call a congregational
(15:34):
meeting about the way a man does his business? Because
when you name the name of Jesus Christ, you don't
just do business. You represent the glory of God. And
if you're exploring people that to sin, well, he calls
a meeting. He contends with them publicly verse eight, and
I said to them, we, according to our ability, have
(15:59):
redeemed Jewish brothers who are sold to the nations. Now,
would you even sell your brothers that they may be
sold to us? He now talked about redemption, to redeem this,
to buy back. He says, a lot of your brothers
were sold to slave masters who aren't part of the
(16:19):
coven in the community, and we had.
Speaker 3 (16:21):
To go put our money on the line and buy
them back.
Speaker 1 (16:24):
And now they're in the family of God, and you're
gonna put them into slavery again, so that we don't
have to just buy them back from the sinners. Now
we got to come and buy them back.
Speaker 3 (16:34):
From the saints.
Speaker 1 (16:36):
What he's said is as supposed to be a marked
difference for how you relate in the family of God,
then how you relate to the secular dog eat dogs.
I don't care profit only secular world order. There ought
to be a difference, he says, And so Nea Mayah said,
these nobles need to be addressed. Near Mayah instituted a
(16:59):
buy back program. See, whenever you lose something that you
ought to have, you got to have a redemption program.
That's what God did with you on Calvary. He brought
you back. He lost you in the garden of Eden,
and he brought you back. Well, that's not the only
kind of buy back. That's economic buy back. There must
(17:21):
be if we're going to save our cities and our communities,
a redemption program where people stop ripping off people because
they're people of God.
Speaker 3 (17:30):
To take up the slack and buy back they redeemed.
Speaker 1 (17:36):
We have a generation of children who need to be
bought back. They need to be redeemed. You don't quit
on them, You try to buy them back. Some of
your wives need a redemption program in your home. Some
of your husbands need a redemption program in your home.
You've lost your wife, You've sold her in the slavery.
You've lost your husband. You've sold them in the slavery.
You forced them out by your life. You don't quit
(17:58):
and say bygones, be bye.
Speaker 3 (18:00):
Guards.
Speaker 1 (18:00):
You buy back and buy back takes investment Virgin eleven.
Speaker 3 (18:07):
Please give back to them this very day.
Speaker 1 (18:09):
Their fields, their vineyards, their olive grows, and their houses.
Also the one hundredth part of the money that's twelve
percent annum, and.
Speaker 3 (18:20):
Of the grain, the new wine, and the oil that.
Speaker 1 (18:24):
You are exacting from them, he says, give them back
what you stole.
Speaker 3 (18:28):
And the interest payments. What is this. This is the
principle of restitution.
Speaker 1 (18:34):
You'll get it fixed, honey. I've ignored you for five years.
Speaker 3 (18:39):
So what I want to do.
Speaker 1 (18:40):
It's been the next five years making you never know
that you lost the.
Speaker 3 (18:43):
Last five years. It's restitution.
Speaker 1 (18:46):
It is taking responsibility to fix what was broken. Said.
You don't just say I'm sorry, it'll never happen again.
Speaker 3 (18:55):
Fix the mess.
Speaker 1 (18:57):
So they said, we will give back and will require
nothing from them.
Speaker 3 (19:03):
We will do exactly as you say. So they obeyed.
Speaker 1 (19:07):
Neilmiah concludes in verses fourteen through nineteen reflecting on his
own leadership because if he sees the nobles live this way,
he's had to make sure that he's been in shape.
And then he looks over his twelve year career and
concludes that he has honored the word of God. He reflects,
He says, and from that day I was appointed governing
(19:27):
the land of Judah. Remember me, Oh, God, for good
according to all that I have done for this people. Oh.
If there's any prayer you want to be able to
pray is remember me. Yes, one day your world is
gonna collapse. I can guarantee it. One day your world
(19:50):
is gonna break down. Things are not gonna go right.
It might be economic breakdown, it might be family breakdown,
it might be personal breakdown.
Speaker 3 (20:00):
But you want to be able to say, Lord remember me. Now.
Speaker 1 (20:04):
My question is if your life collapsed today and you
said Lord remember you, what would he remember? Will he
remember the good that you did? When he looked down
and say, yeah, I remember you.
Speaker 3 (20:16):
You were faithful. When you did have what you had,
you used it for my glory.
Speaker 1 (20:22):
You prioritize me, You served people, You weren't selfish. You
honored me with your lifestyle. And when you blew it,
you were willing to acknowledge it a sin. I remember
you what you need when you call on God? How
is he gonna remember you? Because you know, whether it's
business or sociology or politics or whatever, it is, the
(20:45):
ultimate issue is what God remembers. A young concert violinist
was playing one day. Everybody was getting excited as he
did his closing number, and he ended his closing number
with a bang, and all the people stood up and
applauded and said.
Speaker 3 (21:03):
Bravo, bravo, bravo.
Speaker 1 (21:07):
As the people clapped, he began to tear up in
his eyes. As the applause began to die, and old
man sitting up in the balcony stood up and began
to clap. As the old man stood up and began
to clap, the young man's smile came back on his face.
(21:30):
He wiped the tears from his eyes. He smiled and held.
Speaker 3 (21:35):
Up his vollin and walked off the stage.
Speaker 1 (21:39):
A man in the wing said, sir, how come you
were sad when the people stood up, but when the
old man stood up you got glad again? He said,
because the old man was my violin teacher. He says,
and unless he stood up, it would have been a
failure because he's the only one who knows the nuances.
(22:02):
He's the only one who knows exactly how the peace
is supposed to go. So it doesn't matter what a
thousand people say. I want to know is my teacher
gonna stand. You may all stand and clap it one
of my sermons, but I want to know is God
standing this morning? Your family may stand at what you're doing,
(22:23):
but you want to know is God standing? Because guess what.
If God isn't standing, you ain't done nothing. If God
isn't standing, you haven't done anything. If God is not well, please,
you are in a business failure. So we shall all
stand before the judgment seat of Christ, and each man
shall receive that which he has done in his body,
(22:44):
whether it be good or bad. Listen, don't be worried
about whether folks stand, don't be worried about whether folk applaud.
Speaker 3 (22:52):
Make sure though on judgment date.
Speaker 1 (22:54):
Jesus Christ stands and says.
Speaker 3 (22:56):
Well done, my good and faithful.
Speaker 2 (22:58):
Servant, Doctor Tony Evans, encouraging us to live for the
approval of Heaven, not the applause of earth. Now, today's
lesson called a Cry for Justice is part of Tony's
study from the Old Testament Book of Nehemiah. As I
mentioned earlier, all fifteen full length messages in this sermon
(23:20):
collection can be yours with our thanks. If you'll make
a donation to help us keep presenting these life changing messages,
you'll receive the complete two volume series on digital download
as well as either CD or USB thumb drive, and
as a special bonus, you'll also receive Tony's thought provoking
practical guide One Nation under God. Take advantage of this
(23:43):
limited time offer by calling for details one eight hundred,
eight hundred thirty two twenty two. Our friendly resource team
members are on hand twenty four to seven to help you.
That's one eight hundred eight hundred three two two two,
Or make the arrange and get your digital downloads right
away at Tonyevans dot org. Again, that's Tonyevans dot org.
(24:09):
When God has called you to do something great, the
enemy's goal is simple to get you to stop. On Monday,
doctor Evans will show us what happened when Nehemiah was
just steps away from finishing the wall, and how the
enemy's strategy suddenly shifted from sabotage to smooth talk. It's
a reminder that sometimes the most dangerous invitation you can
(24:32):
receive is the one that sounds the most reasonable. Be
sure to join us for that
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