Old Burnt Stones And A New Wall

Nehemiah 1:1-4 The words of Nehemiah the son of Hachaliah. And it came to pass in the month Chisleu, in the twentieth year, as I was in Shushan the palace,

2 That Hanani, one of my brethren, came, he and certain men of Judah; and I asked them concerning the Jews that had escaped, which were left of the captivity, and concerning Jerusalem.

3 And they said unto me, The remnant that are left of the captivity there in the province are in great affliction and reproach: the wall of Jerusalem also is broken down, and the gates thereof are burned with fire.

4 And it came to pass, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned certain days, and fasted, and prayed before the God of heaven,

Nehemiah is a type of the Holy Spirit (His name means comforter) Nehemiah was grieved that the wall of Jerusalem was broken down, Nehemiah can also represent any believer who is in harmony with the will and purpose and desire of the Holy Spirit for the church.

The wall represents the standard, the power, the strength, the character, the integrity of the church.

A wall does two things

1. It keeps things safe inside

2. It keeps things out

1. It preserves, keeps safe, keeps the right things in

2. It protects, keeps the bad things out, the wrong things out

As Moses mother placed him into a little basket she daubbed it with slime and with pitch this was to keep Moses safe inside and keep the water out.

When God told Noah to build the ark the last thing Noah did when he finish building it was he pitched it within and without.

Number one to keep his family and himself and all the animals safe on the inside and to keep the water on the outside.

This was the last step before the boat, the ark was ready to ride out the flood.

But it was a most necessary step because it made the ark waterproof.

The higher the flood, the higher the ark went on top of the waters.

Nehemiah is no doubt a book about revival, about restoration, about bringing back the glory of God to the church.

It starts with an honest assessment of the brokenness and hopelessness and despair of a people who have lost faith.

They have accepted their condition as terminal.

In other words they had given up.

They had no hope, no expectation for change, they couldn't see past their present dilemma.

Somebody needs to hear this today: You've been looking at some situations that have been labeled terminal.

The devil says its terminal

The doctor says its terminal

The lawyer says its terminal

Your enemies are saying its terminal and even your friends are starting to agree.

You're looking at the broken down wall and it looks hopeless, beyond repair.

You can't see how God could ever put that marriage back together.

You can't see how God could ever heal of that disease.

You can't see how that ministry could ever be restored.

You can't see how you're going to get out of that debt.

You can't see how God is going to deliver that prodigal son or daughter.

There were some people in the Bible in the same situation they were in the wilderness dying of thirst,

The Prophet told them to dig ditches.

2 Kings 3:16-17 And he said, Thus saith the LORD, Make this valley full of ditches.

17 For thus saith the LORD, Ye shall not see wind, neither shall ye see rain; yet that valley shall be filled with water, that ye may drink, both ye, and your cattle, and your beasts.

The Prophet told them: You won't see wind or rain yet that Valley will be filled with water.

When they woke up the next morning water came by the way of edom and the country was filled with water and every ditch was filled with water.

I know right now you can't see how God is going to do it and it looks terminal.

But I prophesy to you God is sending the water.

The water is coming.

The water may be to you healing for your body or deliverance for your prodigals or restoration for your marriage or a breakthrough in your finances.

It may be the end to a spiritual drought.

I don't know what it is for you but it's coming.

Healing power is on the way

Miracles are on the way; deliverance is on the way.

Nehemiah is coming

The Holy Ghost is coming with your answer

So don't accept the enemies report

Don't even accept the report of your own senses.

Believe Gods report and dig a ditch

Believe God's report and begin to praise him right now in the middle of your desert, in the middle of your fiery furnace, in the midst of your lions den, in the midst of your pain, in the face of that bad report, surrounded by broken pieces, surrounded by voices of hopelessness and despair.