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Revelation of Love Ministries

David Machado

I Can’t Come Down

Our Father which art in heaven, I want to thank you so much Lord for being so merciful towards us.

Father I know that every single 1 of us has our own individual challenges.

For some of us like my family, sleep has been something we've been wanting for at least a month now.

And I just thank you, Lord, that you've not only blessed me with 9 years of marriage, but that you've gifted our family with another boy a little less than a month ago.

And I just thank you Lord for these precious gifts that you give us.

And Father, I just wanna pray that you would please speak powerfully this morning.

You know what we need to hear, and I just pray that you would fill my mind with thoughts that come from you and words that would give glory to you.

Please guide us, I pray in Jesus' name, amen.

All right, 1 of the deadliest and longest constructions that has ever taken place on planet Earth was the construction of the Wall of China.

It total, in totality, it goes over 13, 000 miles in length.

Now, it's not 13 consecutive miles, like they're all attached.

There's breaches in the wall and there's separation in quite a few.

But the wall was created to protect the Chinese people from enemies.

But we have learned throughout history that that wall actually failed in doing that in more ways than 1.

How many of you want to take a guess how long it took for this wall to finally finish in its construction?

I'm gonna turn this fan down really quick because I can't hear anything.

I don't think that helped at all, but all right.

It took 2, 000 years to complete and finish the wall of China.

It is estimated that about 400, 000 to 1 million people died in its construction.

It is known as the longest cemetery on planet Earth.

At least 400, 000 people died making this wall.

Walls have always been important throughout history in protecting any growing civilization.

There is a wall in the Bible, however, that I want to talk about that is perhaps 1 of the greatest walls ever constructed.

For what happened as a result of constructing this wall?

After the Babylonian fall by the Medes and the Persians, Cyrus gave a decree for the Israelites to go back to Jerusalem and rebuild their temple under the rulership of Artaxerxes around 444 BC.

We have the time frame of the book that I want to study this morning, and the author of it is none other than Nehemiah.

And what he did, and what he inspired others to do, was just remarkable.

Now let's look at the the chief character of this book, Nehemiah.

What was his character like in the Bible?

In Nehemiah chapter 2, verse 1, the Bible says that his name is pretty powerful.

So he was the comfort of Yahweh, to give the comfort from God to others.

Now the Bible says this is the king's testimony.

The king Artaxerxes says this about Nehemiah.

Notice what he says, I had never, speaking of Nehemiah's experience with him, he says, Now I had never been sad in his presence before.

Nehemiah is basically stating, I have never been sad in the presence of this king.

Now I want you to imagine this for a second.

Nehemiah is away from family, friends, he's away from his loved ones, his people, he's living in a foreign land.

While he is able to see all his family and his friends all go out back to the promised land.

Cyrus made a decree, go and build your temple and Artaxerxes was also empowering the people to do the same.

So while God's people is free, he is not and yet now for a moment in this time in the history of him working for King Art Exercise, is he ever appearing sad before the king?

How many of you have ever been away from family for some duration of time?

All right, how many of you have ever been gone for 3 weeks or more?

Okay, how many of you have ever been gone for a year?

Now being gone for any duration of time if you really love that individual, if you love your family, it is 1 of the hardest things, especially if you're in a foreign land.

Now I've gone and traveled quite a bit all around the world to share the gospel of Jesus and a lot of times I was away From family friends and loved ones.

I was in a very strange land sharing the gospel and at times it did get lonely When they don't follow the same cold custom that you're used to the same culture.

You feel all alone while you're surrounded by millions and millions of people.

Now ladies and gentlemen, Nehemiah, the Bible says, I was never sad before the king.

Friends, I want you to hone in on that thought and we're gonna spend some time looking at this.

But let's look at Nehemiah's job for a second and where he lived.

The Bible says this in Nehemiah chapter 1, opening verses.

The words of Nehemiah, the son of Hecaliah, it came to pass in the month of Shislev in the 20th year as I was in Shushan, the citadel, for I was the king's cupbearer." So what was his job?

Would you imagine that kind of being stressful?

You are entrusted to give anything the king wants to drink.

So do you think the king trusts this man?

I mean, he has to test everything before he gives it to him, to make sure that whatever he's given to the King is not going to kill him.

Nehemiah had an extremely stressful job And yet the Bible says what?

Now the Bible says that he lives in a citadel And the Bible says he lives in Shushan, which was 1 of the Persian capitals.

They had many capitals in that empire, but that was 1 of them.

We know Shushan is also a place that was under Babylonian rule at 1 time.

And Daniel actually had the vision of the 2300 days there in Shushan, there in that incredible place where God revealed to him the work of the heavenly sanctuary.

Now, the citadel that he lived in, what does that mean?

A place that is heavily protected, a place that is heavily guarded, the walls are intact, Nehemiah is safe, but news comes forth to Nehemiah.

And for the first time ever the king sees a change happening between Nehemiah.

In Nehemiah chapter 2 verse 2 and 6, therefore the king said to me, why is your face, what everybody?

Since you are not sick there is nothing but sorrow of what everybody?

Alright so the king sees something in Nehemiah that he's never seen before.

He sees that he is sad And he describes this look upon his face as a sorrow of what?

He says, this is nothing but sorrow of heart.

Now, any of you know what that phrase means, sorrow of heart?

The Bible tells us in Proverbs 15, 13, it says, a merry heart makes a cheerful what?

So Nehemiah was always cheerful, he was always happy before the king, but 1 day something happens to Nehemiah and he is not happy, he is quite sad and the Bible says, the Bible says, but by sorrow of the heart the spirit is what?

So it's when your heart is is so sad that it feels like it's breaking ladies and gentlemen.

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I Can’t Come Down

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