Pastor Wayne Cordeiro
September 6, 2020 - W2036

"A Trowel and A Sword"  

How Then Shall We Live?

Pastor Wayne Cordeiro

September 5 & 6, 2020

Welcome, New Hope--Everywhere and Anywhere!  Want to know what are the two greatest days of your life? One, the day you were born; Two, the day that you find out what you were born for.  Study the lives of some of the greatest people in the Bible, and you will realize that they were all born for something--they had a purpose:   

David was born to lead Israel out of darkness, so that even today the flag of Israel still bears the star of David, and Jesus himself would be called the Son of David!  And Moses was born to lead the people of Israel out of Egypt into the Promise Land.  More recently, great musicians, such as, Beethoven, Bach, and Mozart were born to compose music that would be listened to by our generation and generations to come; Michelangelo was born to sculpt and paint in ways that time could never erase; and, more recently, Henry Ford was born to develop motorized vehicles and assembly lines so that vehicles could be mass produced.  

God created each of us with a purpose in life; but before you find your purpose, He wants you to have a resolve to find out who Jesus is, get to know Him better, love Him with all your heart, and move closer towards Him.

As we continue our series, How Then Shall We Live? my message today is "A Trowel and A Sword," about Nehemiah who was born to rebuild. His parents must have known that he would be facing opposition because the definition of Nehemiah is "God will comfort you." In the first chapter of the book of Nehemiah, he is a cupbearer for King Artaxerxes--his job is to taste the King's food before the King eats it to make sure he wouldn't be poisoned!  One day, Nehemiah asks the King's permission to return to his hometown as he had heard that the walls of Jerusalem were broken down! Nehemiah said, "I need to go. I don't know why, but I just need to go."  

(There may be times when God will say something to you, and you just know that you need to do it, but you can't explain it--there's no explanation to it.  You can't put your finger on it, but you just know that you know that God spoke to you. That's what happened with Nehemiah.  It's not a hunch; it's a prompting of the Holy Spirit.) 

The king gave him a leave of absence, and Nehemiah went to Jerusalem and inspected the walls and said, "I was born for this, I must start rebuilding!" So, he brings the people together, but as soon as he starts rebuilding, he is confronted by terrorists who hated the things of God and didn't want the walls rebuilt around Jerusalem. Nehemiah, then, understands why his parents named him God Will Comfort You. 

Nehemiah 4:6-9 NKJV says: "⁶ So we built the wall, and the entire wall was joined together up to half its height, for the people had a mind to work. ⁷ Now it happened, when Sanballat, Tobiah, the Arabs, the Ammonites, and the Ashdodites heard that the walls of Jerusalem were being restored and the gaps were beginning to be closed, that they became very angry, (Opposition from hell comes whenever God's kingdom is being built or rebuilt; hell does not get activated until heaven starts to move. But, if you have a mind to work, get ready for opposition, and God will comfort you!) ⁸ and all of them conspired together to come and attack Jerusalem and create confusion. ⁹Nevertheless we made our prayer to our God, and because of them we set a watch against them day and night." (You can't ignore the threats and just shrug your shoulders and be cavalier--the devil plays for keeps!) ¹⁰ Then Judah said, “The strength of the laborers is failing, and there is so much rubbish that we are not able to build the wall. ¹¹ And our adversaries said, “They will neither know nor see anything, till we come into their midst and kill them and cause the work to cease.”¹² So it was, when the Jews who dwelt near them came, that they told us ten times, “From whatever place you turn, they will be upon us.” ¹³ Therefore I positioned men behind the lower parts of the wall, at the openings; and I set the people according to their families, with their swords, their spears, and their bows. ¹⁴ And I looked, and arose and said to the nobles, to the leaders, and to the rest of the people, “Do not be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, great and awesome, and fight for your brethren, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your houses.” ¹⁵ And it happened, when our enemies heard that it was known to us, and that God had brought their plot to nothing, that all of us returned to the wall, everyone to his work. ¹⁶ So it was, from that time on, that half of my servants worked at construction, while the other half held the spears, the shields, the bows, and wore armor; and the leaders were behind all the house of Judah. ¹⁷ Those who built on the wall, and those who carried burdens, loaded themselves so that with one hand they worked at construction, and with the other held a weapon. ¹⁸ Every one of the builders had his sword girded at his side as he built. And the one who sounded the trumpet was beside me."

Dads, you fight for your families, their faith, and their well?being. Nehemiah actually posted people by their families because there's something about loving your family that you'll do anything to protect them! They continued the work with a trowel in one hand and a sword in the other.  A trowel is used to put cement between the stones; a sword is to defend yourself and keep building--nothing worthwhile comes easily! Build with A Trowel and A Sword!  Here are two reasons to defend against the lies of Satan; and one reason to fight for your faith--both are necessary!  

TWO REASONS TO DEFEND AGAINST THE LIES OF SATAN 

(1) Satan is called the "Father of Lies," so you must know the Word of God to defeat the lies of Satan.  Ephesians 6:17 NIV says: "Take... the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God."

Hebrews 4:12 NKJV says: "For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart." The two-edged sword is the only offensive and defensive weapon; you can both defend and also move in offense. 

Deuteronomy 30:14 NIV says: "...the word is very near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart so you may obey it." The Word of God must so permeate your heart that it's on your lips ready to utilize!  

2 Timothy 3:16 NKJV says: "All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, ¹⁷ that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work."

(2) Defend yourself against any negative voice coming even from friends--just flush it! What others say about you is none of your business; but what Jesus says about you is your business!  

Proverbs 4:23-24 NLT says: "²³ Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life. ²⁴ Avoid all perverse talk; stay away from corrupt speech."

You must guard your heart against negative words with a two-edged sword, a guardian, a sentry, or someone that polices what goes into your heart.  In the midst of worship, Jesus washes our hearts clean with His blood.  God is the best heart surgeon there is, so, simply give Him permission and He will reconstruct and rebuild your heart by removing the negative stuff and replacing His truth in you.  Each of us need to be filtered, washed, and cleansed by His blood--and He's here to do that!

ONE REASON TO FIGHT FOR YOUR FAITH

1 Timothy 6:12 NIV says: "Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called..."

In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, there is a tendency to close things down and put people's faith down--but, allowing bars and tattoo parlors to stay open by officials. I'm thinking--wait a minute, I'm going to start fighting the good fight of faith! 

Jude 3 NASB says: "Beloved... I felt the necessity to write to you appealing that you contend earnestly for the faithwhich was once for all handed down to the saints."

Defending the faith is because you love so much, not because you hate so much.  See the difference?  There's a huge motivational difference.  There are two kinds of Christians: one that hates what is bad; the other who loves what is good.  The Christians that hate what is bad become dogmatic and legalistic; but the people that love what is good have great relationships, many friends, and a lot of harmony in their life.  

The church of the living God must fall in love with Jesus; so much that there is a stalwart resolute faith that comes when we are willing to draw the line in the sand.  Very different motivation.  That's the reason the Bible says love must compel you.  Now, contend for the faith!  

There are three institutions to which God gave authority: (1) the family where the father and the mother have jurisdiction over that family, (2) the church where pastors and elders have jurisdiction over the Ecclesiastical policies and activities of the church, (3) the state has the civic duty to protect the people so that they can do what they need to do--life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.  

When one oversteps boundaries and makes decisions in the other institution, there's a violation.  In other words, the church can't go into the family and remove the kids; the family can't go into the government and tell them how they should run the government.

We must understand that the highest law in the land is what the Bible Creed says: "This is my Bible, the word of God, and I boldly declare that this is the highest law in the land.  I am what it says I am.  I have what it says I have.  I do what it says I do for I am a citizen of heaven."

As Christians, we come under a different government while on earth (this isn't our home); we're missionaries, just passing through--we're from another kingdom!  I wonder if there might be a time when our faith would be tested, and we would need to draw a line and say, "I love Jesus, and I stand resolute and steadfast not because I hate the government or the people; but it's because I love my family and the family of God so much.  The Word of God is the highest jurisdiction in my life, and my life is principled by the Word of God.  It is not driven by the laws of man because I'm from a different country."

The Lord Jesus said that we're here but for a moment. We have a purpose for which we were born and to make sure that we fulfill that purpose.  The most important thing about you is what Jesus says about you! 

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:

1.  According to Pastor Wayne Cordeiro, what are the two greatest days in your life?

2.  Explain the purpose of a trowel and the sword.

3.  Share an experience you had when "fighting the good fight of faith."

4.  Name the three institutions to which God gave authority; what are their responsibilities?