The Judgement! (Nehemiah 3:31-32)

After him Malchijah, one of the goldsmiths, repaired as far as the house of the temple servants and of the merchants, opposite the Muster Gate, and to the upper chamber of the corner. 32 And between the upper chamber of the corner and the Sheep Gate the goldsmiths and the merchants repaired.

THE STUDY:

          We find the word “Muster” translated different in other version: Inspection (NASB& NIV), Miphkad (KJV), and Hammiphkad (ASV). The Hebrew word found here is Miphad which according to the dictionaries means review, or appointment (for judgment). It was probably the gate where controversies were tried, after the Eastern fashion. How solemn is this! For it is when the Lord comes that “we must all appear before the judgment-seat of Christ.” That will be the gate Miphkad for the believer. There will be the last great review. Every detail of the saint’s life will come up for inspection.

WHAT WE CAN WALK AWAY WITH ….

• We walk away this morning with the understanding that this final gate described by Nehemiah is symbolic to our walk with God and that last required step upon entering into eternal bliss. We will be judged by Christ!  

APPLICATION:

 Charles G. Finney, a young lawyer, was sitting in a village law office in the state of New York. Finney had just come into the old squire’s office. It was very early in the day, and he was all alone when the Lord began to deal with him.

 “Finney, what are you going to do when you finish your course?”

 “Put out a shingle and practice law.”

 “Then what?” “Get rich.”

 “Then what?” “Retire.”

 “Then what?” “Die.”

 “Then what?” And the words came tremblingly, “The judgment.”

 He ran for the woods a half mile away. All day he prayed, and vowed that he would never leave until he had made his peace with God. He saw himself at the judgment bar of God. For four years he had studied law, and now the vanity of a selfish life, lived for the enjoyment of the things of this world, was made clear to him.

 Finney came out of the woods that evening, after a long struggle, with the high purpose of living henceforth to the glory of God and of enjoying Him forever.

 From that moment blessings untold filled his life, and God used him in a mighty way, not as a lawyer but as a preacher, to bring thousands to conversion over a useful period of fifty years.^[1]

You may not have given much thought about “Then what?” I can assure you that God has great things he wants to do with you and through you. Don’t wait for the judgment to realize what it was. Start now and allow the judgment to be the highlights of your life.

Blessings my friends

Pastor Rod

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^[1] Tan, P. L. (1996). Encyclopedia of 7700 Illustrations: Signs of the Times. Garland, TX: Bible Communications, Inc.

Let It Shine! (Nehemiah 3:29-30)

After them Zadok the son of Immer repaired opposite his own house. After him Shemaiah the son of Shecaniah, the keeper of the East Gate, repaired. 30   After him Hananiah the son of Shelemiah and Hanun the sixth son of Zalaph repaired another section. After him Meshullam the son of Berechiah repaired opposite his chamber.

THE STUDY:

          The East Gate is the one the sunrise would reveal itself to first. How symbolic this is to the idea of Christ return. We know that the trumpet will sound and from the east He will come on a white horse.

          For that morning weary saints all along have waited and longed, straining their eyes to catch the first glimpse of the Bright and Morning Star (Jesus). Wicked servants have said, “Where is the promise of his coming?” (2 Peter 3:4) but “The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish” (2 Pet. 3:9). “The night is far gone, the day is at hand.” (Romans 13:12) It is high time to be aroused from our laziness, for already the long-expected midnight cry is ringing through the world, “But at midnight there was a cry, ‘Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.” (Matt. 25:6) The shout of the Lord, the voice of the archangel, and the trump of God, will soon resound through the vaulted heavens, announcing the return of the long-absent One, and ushering in the morning. But for many it will be the beginning of the darkest night earth has ever known.^[1]

WHAT WE CAN WALK AWAY WITH ….

• We walk away this morning with the understanding that as the East Gate is the first to embrace the morning sun we (believers) will be the first to embrace the SON of God when he returns to take his children home. Let us be ready because it will come like a thief in the night, or a blink of an eye.

APPLICATION:

 As a parent we hear our children say some of the funniest things. But there are times when they can say some of the most profound truths ever heard. My son Logan and I were talking one day about death. I was sharing with him that everyone will die at some point in time. For some it will be like going off to sleep and waking up in the arms of Jesus. For others it will be painful and unexpected.

I shared with him that I would like to just lay down in my bed and drift off to sleep and then wake up to the face of Jesus. He smiled and said with a convincing voice, “NOT ME!” Now, as a parent and a minister this was a little alarming for me. I said, “Why not?” He replied as if he had thought about this for a long time and was anticipating this question. He said, “I don’t want to experience death! I want to rise up and meet Jesus in the sky!” I smiled and said, “AMEN!”

We all will experience death or, like my son Logan wishes for, we will rise up and meet Jesus in the sky. Whatever the case may be, let us be ready. Let us embrace that morning SON and then live a life that resonates the glory that comes from Him. Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine.

Blessings my friends

Pastor Rod

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^[1] Ironside, H. A. (1913). Notes on the Book of Nehemiah (49–50). New York: Loizeaux Bros.

GODS WORD WILL PREVAIL! (Nehemiah 3:28)

Above the Horse Gate the priests repaired, each one opposite his own house.

THE STUDY:

          The Horse Gate stood north of the Water Gate, adjacent to the temple area. It was here that wicked Athaliah was executed (2 Chron. 23:15). God warned His people not to trust in horses and chariots (Deut. 17:14–20), but Solomon imported them from Egypt (1 Kings 10:26–29), and they became an important part of the nation’s defense system (Isa. 2:7). The Horse Gate reminds us that there is warfare in the Christian life (2 Tim. 2:1–4) and that we must always be ready to do battle (Eph. 6:10–18).^[1]

          The Horse Gate may speak, then, of soldier-service in a world opposed to God and His truth. It bids us to “contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints.” (Jude 3)

          The truth has been given to us at a great cost, not only to the One who is Himself “the Truth,” but for its preservation, and recovery when lost at times.^[2]

WHAT WE CAN WALK AWAY WITH ….

• We walk away this morning with the understanding that just as the days of Jesus, there will always be a battle for the faith. God’s word will be challenged and attempts will be made to silence it. BUT HIS WORD WILL PREVAIL!

APPLICATION:

 I watched a movie a few years ago called, “The Book Of Eli!” If you have not seen this movie and are planning too don’t read or listen to me from this point on. The main character “Eli” explains to his partner “Solara” his mission. According to Eli, his book is the last remaining copy of the Bible, as all other copies were intentionally destroyed following the nuclear war. He says he was led to the book by a voice in his head, which then directed him to travel westward to a place where it would be safe. The voice assured him that he would be protected on his journey. Thus, for the last thirty years he has been traveling west, guided by his faith.

Once He arrives to his destination Eli tells the guards that he has a copy of the King James Version of the Bible. Once inside, Eli, who is revealed to be blind, begins to dictate the Bible from memory to the leader of the group. Eli dies, but not before he has finished reciting the Bible. The printing press at Alcatraz begins making copies of the new King James Bible.

Today, let us remember no matter how crazy the world may seem, no matter what efforts are made to silence or destroy our faith, GODS WORD WILL PREVAIL!

Blessings my friends

Pastor Rod

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^[1] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). Be Determined. “Be” Commentary Series (45). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.

^[2] Ironside, H. A. (1913). Notes on the Book of Nehemiah (47). New York: Loizeaux Bros.

Vital and Necessary! (Nehemiah 3:25-26)

After him Pedaiah the son of Parosh 26 and the temple servants living on Ophel repaired to a point opposite the Water Gate on the east and the projecting tower.

THE STUDY:

          This morning we are going to skip a few verses due to the understanding that it took many to rebuild the wall and “all” were instrumental. Today we want to look at the “Water Gate.” The “Water Gate” led from the palace-temple complex to the Gihon Spring (cf. 8:1, 3, 16; 12:37).^[1]

          The Nethinim were servants, and it is only fitting that they should have the care of this gate, for water is very generally a type of the word of God. “Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed thereto according to Thy word” (Ps. 119:9).

          We do not read of any repairs being made here, only that the Nethinim dwelt over against the water gate. Possibly this port needed none. At any rate, we know that of which it speaks needs not to be repaired, for the word of God liveth and abideth forever. All vain man’s assaults upon the word of God have left it uninjured and unchanged. We are called upon to defend it, contending earnestly for the faith once for all delivered to the people of God, but it would be irreverent to attempt to patch or improve it.

          The water of the Word is what Christ uses to wash His disciples’ feet and to keep them free from defilement (John 13:1–16; 15:3). It is written: “Christ also loved the Church, and gave Himself for it, that He might sanctify and cleanse it by the washing of water by the Word,” etc. (Eph. 5:25, 26).^[2]

WHAT WE CAN WALK AWAY WITH ….

• We walk away this morning with the understanding that just as the “Valley Gate” resembled humility, the “Dung Gate” resembled cleansing, and the “Fountain Gate” resembled the filling of the Spirit, the “Water Gate” resembles the watering of the Word of God that is needed in one’s life.  

APPLICATION:

Billy Graham said: “In August of 1949, I was so filled with doubts about everything that when I stood to preach and made a statement, I would say to myself: I wonder if that is the truth. I wonder if I can really say that sincerely. My ministry had gone."

 “I then took the Bible up into the high Sierra Nevada mountains in California. I opened it and got on my knees. I pled, ’Father I cannot understand many things in this Book. I cannot come intellectually all the way, but I accept it by faith to be authoritative, the inspired Word of the living God! ’”

I am convinced there is nothing more significant, more important, or more powerful than the word of God. It needs to be the very water we bathe with every morning before we take a shower. Today, let God’s word become like the air you breath: vital and necessary!

Blessings my friends

Pastor Rod

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^[1] Breneman, M. (1993). Vol. 10: Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther (electronic ed.). The New American Commentary (191). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.

^[2] Ironside, H. A. (1913). Notes on the Book of Nehemiah (44–45). New York: Loizeaux Bros.

Freedom & Empowerment! (Nehemiah 3:15)

And Shallum the son of Col-hozeh, ruler of the district of Mizpah, repaired the Fountain Gate. He rebuilt it and covered it and set its doors, its bolts, and its bars. And he built the wall of the Pool of Shelah of the king’s garden, as far as the stairs that go down from the city of David.

THE STUDY:

          The Fountain Gate (v. 15) illustrates the ministry of the Holy Spirit (John 7:37–39). The thing I would like to point out this morning is the order of these gates: first, there is humility (the valley gate), then cleansing (the dung gate), and then the filling of the Spirit (the fountain gate).^[1]         

          To the woman at the well, the Lord Jesus spoke of a fountain (not merely a well) of living water. Again in John 7 He cried, “He that believeth on Me … out of his inward parts shall flow rivers of living water.” The fountain of living water is a type, or symbol of the Holy Spirit who indwells all believers.^[2]

                   

WHAT WE CAN WALK AWAY WITH ….

• We walk away this morning with the understanding that as Nehemiah is describing the rebuilding of the wall he is also describing the steps for restoration for the people spiritually: humility, cleansing, and the filling of the Holy spirit.

APPLICATION:

As a minister I have had the wonderful blessing of introducing people to Christ. I have been doubly blessed with the opportunity to lead some of those individuals into the experience of (Sanctification) or what some may call the “infilling of the Holy Spirit.”

I recall a quote from Dr. Mervin Smith (District Superintendent on the WV South), “I don’t believe Satan gets to upset about people accepting Christ as their personal savior. The walls of hell are shaken when that person is sanctified.” Satan still has a chance to cause someone to go astray after they receive Christ. It is when the believer surrenders all to Christ and desires the very nature change God wants to do within him/her that diminishes Satan’s power significantly. This is when Satan is most fearful, when God’s children seek to be empowered by the Holy Spirit.

Don’t let Satan take away or cause you to miss the empowerment of the Holy Spirit. Today can be the day you surrender it all to God and receive the power to resist sin and live for Christ as was intended from the very beginning. Today can be the day you live in the freedom and empowerment of the Holy Spirit.

Blessings my friends

Pastor Rod

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^[1] Wiersbe, W. W. (1993). Wiersbe’s Expository Outlines on the Old Testament (Ne 3). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.

^[2] Ironside, H. A. (1913). Notes on the Book of Nehemiah (42). New York: Loizeaux Bros.