Nehemiah

[0:00] And part of the eighth verse, verse eight, in the second chapter of the book of Nehemiah.

[0:14] The book of Nehemiah, chapter eight, chapter two, and the letter close of verse eight.

[0:30] And the king granted me according to the good end of my God upon me.

[0:44] A particular character, a very favored one.

[1:00] And he not only possessed a God in heaven, but he could claim him as his God.

[1:17] And he could, my friends, reveal the very spot and place he was in, in captivity.

[1:31] Not having the freedom he once endured, away from Judah and Jerusalem.

[1:45] Alone, and yet not alone. And my friends, proving that he had and possessed a living God.

[2:05] That is the special blessing of every child of God.

[2:18] Whether a baby in grace, or young in the battle, or aged. They will never, can never be, where their God is not with them.

[2:35] If it's not in the enjoyment, it's round about them. There's the walls, are round about Jerusalem.

[2:52] So he said, there's the Lord round about his people. There is another sacred view of possessing Nehemiah's God.

[3:10] He will give his angels charge over them. Lest they should dash their feet against a stone.

[3:28] So that it is not at all accomplished by any power on earth.

[3:39] And yet, there's no power on earth, but what God controls for his people.

[3:51] It is not anything to him. We cannot direct.

[4:07] We never created the heavens and the earth or the sea. No, we did nothing at all.

[4:18] That gave us our compass today, even later. It's all being given by God. And what he gives, he can take away.

[4:39] Ah, that we painfully approve. He can take away. And here, it has been the sovereign will of his God to place him in the palace of a king and queen that knew nothing about his God.

[5:09] Do not, for a moment, have it pass through your thoughts if thou art one of God's people, separated by his grace, being led by his wisdom and guarded by his mighty power that the world don't know something there's about you that they can't understand.

[5:45] Don't think they don't watch you. Some of my greatest critics and very true ones, too, was when I had to do with three or four hundred men.

[6:06] They told me the truth. They told me the truth. Yes, I heard them come and say, Well, I'm surprised that you said this and done that.

[6:27] And I've now, when, in a very fearful thunderstorm, come and stand by my side, one of the heavy ones we had, he said, May I stand by you?

[6:49] Well, I said, Why do you want to stand by me in this storm?

[7:01] So black we could not see. I feel safe if I stand by you. You see, there was a God.

[7:14] He didn't understand more. You see, the mighty God that calls by his grace, which is so matchless because no other call can be so powerful as he is.

[7:35] And take that one in all their sins and my friends with all that is within our natural mind that fights against the son of God.

[7:56] and he comes and takes that one. Does not recall, dear, like it does how with Abraham or Moses, the special or soul, Tarsus.

[8:17] there was that time and it has pleased God in his calling in that which had been made quite sure to call them in their infancy.

[8:43] In their childhood wonderful favour have doctored thought that one born in sin shaped in iniquity taken into eternity before they reached the years of knowledge and gone on heaven.

[9:17] Blessed soul. No little of the path of tribulation not hour of temptations were gently lifted up.

[9:35] Sweet comparison when we think of the mothers brought their infant children to Jesus.

[9:48] And the disciples oh what mistakes we made. What mistakes we made. You see they would not over damn the same themselves.

[10:07] know will God do for us what no one will do for you. And he took one in his arm suffer the little children to come unto me for of such is the kingdom of him.

[10:39] Oh you see my dear friends God in his separation is perfect it is real it's effectual and the work is entirely his now he knew little of what was going on in the city of Judy.

[11:11] You must remember Jerusalem and the temple and the city was something to everyone that God brought to worship there.

[11:30] his name was there and yet being only on the earth it was destroyed and built again and then again destroyed but while it stood his name was there and Judah was a city that was more to those that attended and looked to that temple than to those that did not the Lord was there and amidst his many commands wherever they were placed there were to look toward

[12:36] Jerusalem and pray to him toward Jerusalem he would answer them though they were separated from the blessed nest of meeting together in his name they were not separated from him there was Daniel the three Hebrew children there was Moses and there were Joseph and if you looked closely into how God dealt with them when they were in captivity he placed them in his own time in honor among the world the world is in his hands you know if they are not in his heart they are in his aims no one can go to destroy and then they cannot destroy that life

[14:03] God gives to the soul that they can do nothing without he has ordained it for his purpose you might say why did the martyrs die for there was heaven for them at once that heaven is not to be prepared it's already prepared and it was a glorious day that those martyrs died and it was glorious suffering that they suffered why say you because they suffered in Christ and boris reproaches ah my friends there's a mighty God we sent out and cast down when the wicked are in power and it seemed sometimes they would overwhelm you have known it yet

[15:15] God moved he had the mind of the world of that one your most fear and he turned it first time I went to preach I had to ask a Roman Catholic seemed an impossibility that's where God comes to bring you to know that all things are possible we get why I could not have had a better answer to my question and on that I asked that I might go out to speak among the people that

[16:17] I was in fellowship with where did he say go good work you shall go and he gave me the liberty of a morning on Monday that I could as long as I reached back work as soon as I could not one who feared God no one if he was true to the tenets of what he believed would turn me out no God move back who moves before God you the child of God moves oh yes he has given you a life that could never be taken away and he will bring you to that place where only himself can help you is above all men and one strong in the faith above all devils because they are fearful foe is the enemy is a fearful foe especially if

[17:54] God has a great purpose to accomplish and on the other side God is a jealous God God I will put it as plain as I can he will have his child to know that he will do it and not them well say that soul how do I know he will he says he will give you power to believe in the moment of your distress in the greatest moment of your weakness he is round about his favor and his love and his pity and his compassion and yet he can appear for his children oh you see friends we little know when we come in as we do to worship

[19:16] God whom we are worshiping that he brings it home to you your life minute his circumstance is subject to his eye and is beautifully weaving together it never ceases that power of his omnipotence and his loving kindness unto his goodness from from the moment that his goodness touched your soul to show you your having a perfect savior wonderful mercy isn't it it's not a mere profession oh how many have a profession and think they have the position how many there are are sit down and satisfied that if they walk for

[20:36] Jesus he will say that no without me he said to his disciples without me you can do nothing the art lesson flesh and blood has to come down reason all that flesh is to come down and the humble place you could ever die is the sweetest place of all and that is at the feet of your God through Jesus Christ it was a sorrow to him the news brought him sorrow would it bring sorrow to you and me if thou came along thou made very rapidly today thou forbiddest to meet in his name sometimes we have to examine ourselves is it a sorrow to you when by affliction you cannot come to the house of

[22:22] God week after week year after year of sun oh if they could get once more to his else why well in his house or living waters you must not think those hymns you sing are mere words they may be to you just for you to sing them they are not a child of God sometimes they will touch a line or a verse and with his power touch your heart and you can hardly finish singing them they're in the means of his grace he will be servant of this is the means of his grace

[23:32] I heard of one most godly woman a very treasured godly woman a pillar where she attends or she said I can't get on with that man and that's how she used to go to hear him when he came to that little place she didn't go to worship god that morning on afternoon or evening whatever it was she had very little worship in her heart I can tell you that about she was a most girly woman not long ago he saved all that was took away through that very man being the intimate and

[24:42] I left mourning over my sins and receiving him into my heart why was that the Lord was there the Lord was there you see dear friends prejudice or hearing what other creatures say that God will have none of them his goodness will never be taken away whatever frames or feelings we might have and there is something that he'll give you which is a very wonderful gift and it has a very gracious power and it has a very humble and influence and it has all the graces of the spirit in exercise and that he gives you faith faith to believe he can pardon your sin wonderful mercy

[26:06] I had a thought this morning and perhaps you will think it perhaps I ought not to say it well I don't say like that I'm not here to what I ought to say or not if God is with me that I said Lord if there was one sin not pardoned when I come to die it appears my soul in hell or eternity at one sin he brought me I hope my dear friends to value the goodness of that mercy and that love and that redemption that cleanses from all sin so there is a righteousness given you or shown to you of

[27:28] Jesus Christ he cleanses from sin well here he is and the Lord knew all about him and the news come before the news come the child didn't reach its sight did and my friends it was to now the walls of Jerusalem was broken down and they wept about it a very precious tears that you weep before God when he shown you so much goodness and mercy and forbearance and caused you to see his hand going clearly before you by the power of living faith he said

[28:38] I wept and he wept aloud before his God it's real religion real religion to weep before you again no other eye to see you but his mourn before him wonderful grace that is my friends that is goodness he did mourn what a prayer he wanted the hold of his God that's what he wanted so do you when he gives you the spirit of felt need and the time of distress or exercise of mind you ask him to help you you ask him to defend you you ask him to be attentive to you and that is high might be ever upon you where you're asking for the fullness of

[29:55] Christ that out of that fullness you might receive what a gracious prayer asked for without that prayer you cannot expect the blessing and without faith there cannot be the waiting and where there's no waiting there cannot be the watching and what do you watch for his hand a very remarkable hand is the hand of God he led them by the right way unto a city of habitation he led them he saves by the hand he raises them up to a hopeless mercy by the end and now he says

[30:56] I'll lead them without where should we go we got plenty in ourselves to go wrong bless himself said then what did he do and he prayed and he mourned and there was something we leave out something we leave out but you fast it he waited only on his God if the king had come in and said I'll give you a better position it would have had no effect on him he was fasting before God and that's the real exercise of a dear child of God whatever part of the path they're in they pass they pray they watch and shall it be in vain they that wait upon the law never matter and they can eat trade and silent prayer before his

[32:24] God he told us who he was the king's cup bearer oh God gave him that work honor sometimes I thought in my foolish if I had a different pathway in life I should have got on bitter though knew where to put me he put me where I had to learn to be a minister in his name which I should never have learned anywhere else but in that college at Oxford I had to learn much there than my friends what did I learn what was I taught the goodness of God and that's where he's placed you my little but just where you are child of

[33:34] God we humbly believe where he intends you to be and he has a deeper purpose for that than your reason will ever fail and that place will become a place of great dependence his prayer was answered it's not far to go to see the answer of that prayer why the eye of faith was given him he'd been watching and at mass they said why is thy countenance saved the king did he had a great regard for it oh yes it's a poor thing if you have to do with the world or the masters under which you serve they've no regard for you if thou art one of gods

[34:49] I can tell you that oh don't you think you're not esteemed walking walking walking walking in the face of the Lord why as thy countenance thou art not sin this is nothing else but sorrow of art he went right to the point how the Lord can take your mind and mine and cause that mind by his spirit however much it had gone one side and the other to be fixed on him alone as wonderful grace wonderful goodness and it opened his heart to tell this king which would be no trouble to him but that poorly regarded he had for

[35:55] Nehemiah he told him all trouble and he told him what he would need and not any of it could Nehemiah supply himself must all be supplied for him there was not anything stood in the way for God to accomplish and honor that faith nothing stood in the way hell no there was everything that could stand that would answer that prayer and that they should build that walls and he gated it was in a far poor way wasn't he he could not ride on the beast some part of the way they and it was a sad sight to see the walls falling down the garden and no people to worship there

[37:09] It's often a sad sight to me to know in some little chapels years ago Turner and those blessed men of God preached the gospel and now there's no one goes to those places that fear the Lord.

[37:30] Well, we read on everything given and he was there while he be yelled the walls were down he had all with him to rear them up.

[37:55] We don't think of that, do we? The gold and the silver is the Lord's and the arts of world men when his people have need his goodness will find out of me.

[38:25] He had doubt where Satan always works where God is doing a great work when the work of faith is being accomplished Sanballos and Tobias and Riss and Gershom and they were all under the power of a wicked way and if they could have destroyed or took away Nehemiah they thought they'd take away all if they could speak to the king they didn't know the secret.

[39:05] only a mile was lifted above all of that that would have become up against them because God the end of his God was with it.

[39:27] And that's a secret we desire, isn't it? I believe he'll give it too. There's no use me coming to tell you of a God that can't do anything I know he's just and will visit for our unbelief and our sin but we can't create a grain of faith and the meat store you're casting down he'll give you something to rise above it all and when he spout the vows because there was the men before him the Jews weren't there he gave that wonderful faith of goodness, of grace that they all were with him let us arise let us arise and build what on that which seems impossible what does he say to them he said

[40:48] I see and you see the distress and I'm sure the distress of a weeping child would be to know their prayers were false and never answered what did he tell them what no devil could ever alter I told them of the end of my God which was good upon me also the king's words that he had spoken to me oh isn't that wonderful isn't that wonderful God had given the king that knew him that sacred word that should build up and cause Nehemiah to rise before they said we'll make the walls arise yes on wings of faith the savior flies my friend when he had told them this and the words

[42:13] God had given me you can all say how do I know the devil told me I hadn't had the words from God there was something the devil couldn't give me when the Lord said to me in the week of rise and build I was not certain where I could find it in the Bible and I was not going to any concordance to help me that wouldn't do you mustn't put least of your ideas in the full grass and I opened it this let us arise and build and you know my friend he's a living God you and I look at the impossibilities why he could give you to die and take away tomorrow

[43:22] I only knew that and you godly man I laid in the grave he had a row of houses or would have had them he thought now I shan't not want to work so much as I have done he was in business in the big draper shop on his own he only took a few fowl to look at and left that business he was resting on this row of houses but there were those living no sympathy with him no knowledge of his God found a flaw in the will and they become a poor man they become a poor man nobody felt more than we knew him for him he did not know the flaw was there his departed wife had just left out that which was most necessary for him you see friends they take wings and they fly away not those who committed to God he can bring it in and not have it to go away oh no let us arise and be and my friends

[45:25] I believe that they had the sword in one hand and that which had built the walls and repaired it in the other and so will every child and every male man you won't sit down and say well we've had a word of the Lord and it will surely be accomplished you'll see you don't do that you've got a sword you've got enemies within you've got enemies without we never know and my friends his work will go on his work will go on your carry that sword and may it shine in prayer in supplication in holy calmness and bowing to his sovereign will for that is most profitable and most precious which we receive by the trial of faith in earnest application to a good

[46:54] God the good hand of God and he was with it he built the walls he was able to sing at the word the Lord had his blessing on so to know what to he he has he he he he