A New Beginning

Greg Laurie: Teamwork, we all have a role to play. We need to find our place in the work that God is doing. None of us is as capable as all of us. Today on A New Beginning, Pastor Greg Laurie points out the value of working together in the body of Christ. Someone once said, "Coming together is a beginning, keeping together is progress, thinking together is unity, working together is success." Everyone has got to do their part.

Guest (Male): Ever try to move a couch all by yourself? Suddenly it is jammed in the doorway, you are wedged in with it, and it feels like you are stuck in a sitcom. But if a few friends help out, no one has to lose their sanity. Today on A New Beginning, Pastor Greg Laurie takes us to a great biblical example of teamwork. Nehemiah wants to rebuild the broken walls of Jerusalem, but he faces serious challenges. Pastor Greg picks up at Nehemiah chapter 2, verse 11.

Greg Laurie: The city of Jerusalem was lying in rubble and ruins. The once-proud walls that surrounded this city were now just charred, and weeds were growing over them. And so Nehemiah has the plan. "I've prayed for four months. Now it's time to do something." And we see it all coming together. So now he's arrived in Jerusalem. He's heard about how bad it is. Now he's going to check it out for himself.

"So I arrived in Jerusalem. Three days later, I slipped out during the night, taking only a few others with me. I had not told anyone about the plans God had put in my heart for Jerusalem. We took no pack animals with us except the donkey I was riding. After dark, I went through the valley gate, past the Jackals' Well over to the Dung Gate to view the broken walls and burned gates."

We'll stop there. So he's checking things out. The word used here for view, when he says, "I viewed it," means to closely examine it. It's a medical term used for a surgeon giving an intense examination of a wound. He's doing his homework. He's plotting his course, putting together the idea of how he's going to resolve this.

And I love how the story continues on, because if this was a fairy tale, it would have just stopped. He got permission to go back to Jerusalem, everything is great. But now we see conflict enter the story, reminding us the Bible's not a fairy tale, it's a true story. And God puts all of it in there for our instruction, bringing me to point number one: when we're doing the will of God, we will face opposition.

When we're doing the will of God, we will face opposition. Verse 19, Nehemiah 2: "When Sanballat, Tobiah, and Geshem the Arab heard of our plan, they scoffed contemptuously, saying, 'What are you doing? Are you rebelling against the king?'" And the conflict only escalated from there. Listen to this. Whenever God's people say, "let's rise and build," the devil's going to say, "let's rise and oppose."

I think sometimes we think when we're in the will of God, it's going to be blue skies, green lights, and singing birds. When I have all the time in the world, all the lights are green. When I'm late for something, every light is going red. But we think it's going to be easy, but the reality isn't. Sometimes things just cruise along nicely, but so often there's conflict.

Sometimes conflict or opposition comes from unexpected sources. But that's what happens when there's a divine opportunity. There's going to be opposition. I should expect it. Not only should I expect it, I should count on it in many ways. But there's no success without risk, and there's no success without opposition, because Satan hates what God loves.

Now, who are these guys? Three of them are named. We have Sanballat, we have Tobiah, and we have Geshem. Sanballat was a leader of Samaria, and he was threatened by the presence of Nehemiah, the return of the Jews. He didn't want these Jewish people rebuilding their walls, so it threatened his livelihood, it threatened his authority.

And it's interesting because he's leading the Samaritans and that conflict continued until the day of Jesus. Remember when Jesus met with the Samaritan woman at the well? And she was surprised and said, "Why are you talking to me? Don't you know that Jews have no dealings with Samaritans?" So that conflict continued on. So here we have Sanballat, the primary opponent. And then we also have Tobiah, a leader of the Ammonites, and Geshem, an Arabian leader. So three enemies were facing Nehemiah.

And we have three enemies too. They are the world, the flesh, and the devil. So the world with its enticements is the external enemy. The flesh with its vulnerabilities and appetites is the internal enemy. And the devil with the world and the flesh is our infernal enemy.

Now, I love how Nehemiah responded to this. They come, they ask him these questions, "What are you doing?" He doesn't even respond to them. He doesn't give them the time of day. So when the devil comes to you with his temptations, here's what the Bible says you should do: have extended conversations with the devil, find out what he's offering, and then say no. Right? Have you read that verse?

It's not in the Bible. Here's what the Bible says: resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Resist him. Don't take his free offer. Don't try his free sample, and don't take a test drive of anything he offers. Have you ever been to a Krispy Kreme Doughnut? How many of you have been to Krispy Kreme? All the overweight people, interesting. I'm kidding. Well, I've been there many times.

And sometimes they give you a free sample. Have you noticed that? "Here, you want a free doughnut?" Who's going to say no to a free doughnut, especially one that was just made? Why do they do that? Because they love us? I don't know, maybe they do. But they know if you eat one, you're going to want two, and if you eat two, you're going to want three, and you're going to order a dozen, and on it goes. I know this from personal experience.

So that's the devil. "Here, here's a free sample. Just try this thought on for size. You would never do this, being the great man or woman of God that you are, but just try it out for a test drive. Take a trip to Fantasy Island." Remember Fantasy Island? "The plane, the plane!" Never mind, really dated references that are lost to most of you, which is probably good.

But no, don't give him the time of day. You can't stop an impure thought, an ungodly thought, an evil thought from knocking at the door of your imagination, but you don't have to invite it in for tea, okay? It's been said you can't stop a bird from flying over your head, but you can stop him from building a nest in your head. In my case, that bird better bring his own materials because there's nothing here to work with at all.

But the idea is I can't stop the impure thought, I can't stop the evil thought, I can't stop the temptation, but I can resist it. It'll come. I say, "No, not going to go there." So Sanballat and Tobiah and Geshem come. "Hey, we want to talk to you. We don't like this." Nehemiah's like, "Yeah, whatever. I'm going to just keep doing this work God's called me to do."

Go to Nehemiah 3. "And then Eliashib the high priest and the other priests started to rebuild at the Sheep Gate and dedicated it and set up its doors, building the wall as far as the Tower of the Hundred, which they dedicated, and the Tower of Hananel." Now it just goes on and lists a bunch of names, a bunch of names and locations of people and where they were building their wall. So it was sort of like the closing credits at the end of the movie.

They're not familiar names. We think, "Why are they even in there?" Because all scripture is given by inspiration of God, and they're in there so we'll see how these people heroically obeyed God and did their part. Everyone did their part, bringing me to point number two: we need to find our place in the work that God is doing.

The phrase "next to him" and "after him" is mentioned 28 times in this chapter. Everybody had something to do. And these are just regular people. They're not construction people. They're just folks helping out, doing their part. There's priests and goldsmiths, perfumers, merchants, young people, old people, men, women. Everyone was working.

And that reminds us that the church is not only a family, it's also an army, and we all have a role to play. Ephesians 4:16 says, "The whole body fits together perfectly, and each part does its own special work and helps the other parts grow so the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love."

Nehemiah was a really organized guy. I love organized people. Maybe it's because I'm not that organized. But I like people that have schedules and notes and "here's what we're going to do, then we're going to do that," and that's who Nehemiah was. He was a detail guy. It's a two-and-a-half-mile wall divided into 41 segments. Everyone's got to do their part.

B.C. Forbes, the founder of Forbes magazine, once said, "You spell success as follows: T-E-A-M-W-O-R-K. Teamwork." Someone once said, "Coming together is a beginning, keeping together is progress, thinking together is unity, working together is success."

Did you know that we put our services that we do on Sundays online? It's called Harvest at Home, and you can be a part of our extended congregation no matter where you are. People watch from literally all around the world. So if you want to watch Harvest at Home, or view it later if you like, just download the Harvest+ app and then join us for Harvest at Home.

Well, we're learning the importance of teamwork today by way of Pastor Greg's message called "Rebuilding the Ruins of Your Life." Everyone worked. Nehemiah 3:5 says, "Next to them, the Tekoites made repairs, and their nobles did not put their shoulders to the work of the Lord." Now here's a problem: the nobles. "Well, we can't get our fingernails dirty. We don't need to do..." No, everybody needs to work.

And we've done this many times. We've had work days at our church. I remember when we were building our building in Riverside, we had a work day. And I am not good at anything to do with home repair or construction. If I'm walking around the house with a hammer, my wife is alarmed. "What are you going to do?" Whatever I try to fix gets worse. I'm not kidding.

So one day we were cleaning up the church in Riverside, and I was trimming a hedge. So I had it plugged into the wall, and I'm trimming the hedge, and I just went a little too far, and I cut right through the cord. So I looked to the right, I looked to the left, I set it down, and I walked away.

I didn't tell anyone what I'd done. I was embarrassed, humiliated. "What kind of a man am I?" They might ask me to turn my man card in. And so 30 years later, some guy says to me, "You know when we had that work day at the church? You were trimming the hedge?" I'm like, "Yeah." "I saw what happened. You're still a Christian? Amazing. Sorry I let you down."

But the thing is everybody needs to participate. Everybody needs to do their part. But these guys didn't want to work. And it comes down to this: there are two kinds of people that come to church, participators and spectators. Or another way to put it, workers or shirkers. Participators want to engage. Spectators want to just watch.

And that's what's happening here at the wall. Some people didn't want to work. But everybody needed to do their job because there's so much to get done. So the question is, are you a wall builder or a wall breaker? Are you a faith maker or a faith breaker? The problem with faith breakers is they want to discourage faith makers.

Nehemiah 2:19: "When Sanballat, Tobiah, and Geshem the Arab heard of our plan, they scoffed contemptuously. What are you doing?" People will oppose you. You get serious about your Christian life. "I'm going to go to church every Sunday and I'm going to join a small group," and they say, "Come on man, lighten up a little bit. You were more fun when you weren't doing all that stuff." They don't understand the joy of serving.

And that's what these people were like. Now, there's one other person I find really interesting. In direct contrast to the so-called nobles, there's this guy named Baruch. Probably never heard his name before. Baruch. Check him out. Nehemiah 3:20: "Then there was Baruch, the son of Zabbai, who zealously repaired another section from the angle to the entrance of the house of Eliashib the high priest."

I love how this is put in there, and we're talking about it thousands of years later. "Yeah, there was this Baruch guy that zealously did his job." There's this one guy that worked harder than anybody else, and so he's commended in the pages of Nehemiah for us to pay attention to today. Are you a Baruch, so to speak, or are you one of the nobles? Do you serve or do you want to simply be served? Are you a servant or are you a slacker?

The walls of Jerusalem needed to be rebuilt. The wall of our life needs to be rebuilt. We all have a part to play. Let me tell you a secret. If you want to see your experience of church get richer and deeper and more fulfilling, start getting involved personally and start building your part of the wall. And then as we all work together, we see great things accomplished and we see God glorified as a result. So you pray about the role that you could play.

So let's close now and pull the camera back for a moment. Look at the bigger picture. This is a story of a man named Nehemiah that saw a need and did something about it. A man named Nehemiah that came to the city of Jerusalem and wept over it. And after his weeping came working. And after his despair came determination. And who else do we know that wept over Jerusalem? Well, it was Jesus who looked over Jerusalem and said, "Oh Jerusalem, Jerusalem, I would have gathered you together as a hen gathers her chicks, but you would not listen."

It broke His heart. And then Jesus died on a Roman cross outside of the walls of Jerusalem. He died on that cross for the sin of the world. He died on that cross for your sin and for mine, because there was no other way to connect us to a holy God that we have all offended through our sin. But God loved us so much He sent His only begotten son, Jesus Christ, to pay that price on the cross for us.

And if we'll turn from our sin and believe in Him, He will forgive us and we can enter into a relationship with God. Maybe you come here today with troubles in your life, and I'm just glad you're here. I know sometimes we need a wake-up call and it gets us to pay attention. But as far as I'm concerned, anything that moves you toward God is something that God can allow and use for His glory.

And maybe you come here because you have a problem. You come here today because your life is a mess. You come here today because you have this addiction or you have this challenge or whatever it is. You've come to the right place and you've come to the true and living God who loves you and will forgive you if you'll turn from your sin and put your faith in Him.

So what I would like to do is close with a prayer. And it's a prayer that you could pray if you want Jesus to come into your life. A prayer that you could pray if you want your life to go from ruin to revival, from rubble to restoration. It's a prayer where you'll be asking Jesus Christ to come into your life to be your friend, your savior, your Lord, your God.

He's just a prayer away because He wasn't just crucified, He rose again from the dead three days later. And He's alive and He's here with us right now, standing at the door of your life and He is knocking, and He's saying if you'll hear His voice and open the door, He'll come in. If you've not opened the door to your life yet to Christ, do it right now as we pray.

Let's all pray. Father, thank You for Your word to us. Thank You for sending Jesus to die on the cross for our sin. Lord Jesus, thank You for coming. And now we pray that any person who has joined us or is listening, wherever they may be, if they don't have this relationship with You yet, let this be the moment they believe and draw near to You and call on You. Now while our heads are bowed and our eyes are closed and we're praying, if you want Christ to come into your life, if you want your sin forgiven, if you want to go to heaven when you die, I want you to pray this prayer after me. Right where you are, just pray. You could pray it out loud if you like, but just pray these words after me.

Lord Jesus, I know that I am a sinner, but I know that You're the savior who died on the cross for my sin and rose again from the dead. I turn from my sin now and I choose to follow You from this moment forward. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.

Guest (Male): Today on A New Beginning, an important prayer from Pastor Greg Laurie with those making a change in their relationship with God today. If you yourself have prayed with Pastor Greg and made a decision for the Lord, we'd like to help you get started in your new relationship with God. We'd like to send you Pastor Greg's New Believer's Bible. It's perfect for someone who's new to the faith. It has hundreds of helps, including "Cornerstones," a series of short articles on the basics of the Christian faith. And we'll send it without charge. Just ask for the New Believer's Bible when you call 1-800-821-3300. That's 1-800-821-3300. Or go online to harvest.org and click "Know God."

Pastor Greg, we hear from people all the time who tell us how these daily studies have impacted their lives. So many have found the Lord and been encouraged through this teaching. And we hope our listeners might pray about making an investment so these studies can continue.

Greg Laurie: Yes, it's really true, Dave. And even a little bit helps. People need to hear the gospel so badly. They need to hear the teaching of the word of God. It changes everything because it changes us. And I'm so passionate about it, and I'm called to do it, and I'm thankful for it. But I can't do it alone. So I'm going to ask folks that are listening if you think more people need to hear the gospel, if you believe more people need to hear the teaching of the word of God, then prayerfully consider investing in Harvest Ministries and maybe even become a Harvest Partner, which means you're someone who stands with us every month in your faithful giving, and that opens up a lot of new opportunities for us. So thanks for that.

Guest (Male): Yeah, that's right. And we really are thankful for your partnership. You can reach us anytime, day or night, at 1-800-821-3300. That's 1-800-821-3300. Or write A New Beginning, Box 4000, Riverside, California, 92514. Or just go online to harvest.org. Well, next time, the importance of perseverance when we face tough challenges. Pastor Greg's message is called "Never Give Up." Join us here on A New Beginning with Pastor and Bible teacher Greg Laurie.