The Church; The Gate of God
SHM – 11/25/01 p.m. – Text: Nehemiah 2:11-20
There are three essentials of rebuilding the gates and reclaiming the city of God:
·Preparation
·Cooperation
·Determination
Preparation: Three Kinds of Preparation Are Necessary
I. Head Preparation – The Development of A Sure Purpose
A. Gate – sha’ar (pronounced shah’-ar) “to pierce the darkness”
·“The visual concept is opening the gate so that light can shine through and pierce (the darkness).”
·The gate of revelation dispels ignorance and opens the door to the mind of God.
·The gate of faith dispels doubt and opens the door to the miracles of God.
1. Genesis 28:17 – “And he was afraid, and said, How dreadful [is] this place! this [is] none other but
the house of God, and this [is] the gate of heaven.” [dreadful – yare’ (yaw-ray’) “awesome”]
a. a gate is a place of entry and exit
2. Ruth 4:1 – “Then went Boaz up to the gate, and sat him down there: and, behold, the kinsman of
whom Boaz spake came by; unto whom he said, Ho, such a one! turn aside, sit down here. And he
turned aside, and sat down.”
a. a gate is a place of redemptive intercession
3. Matthew 16:18 – “And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my
church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”
a. a gate is a place of authoritative warfare
4. Psalms 24:7 – “Lift up your heads, O ye gates; and be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors; and the king of
glory shall come in.”
a. By this verse, we can understand that “we” are the gates
b. “The King of glory will come in when the gates are set in place.”
·“Head preparation occurs when we understand who we are and what we are about in this life.”
II. Heart Preparation – The Development of A Burning Passion – (2:11)
·The preparation of the heart is the development of a burning passion to participate in the call of God.
A. Study the Situation
1. Nehemiah was in Jerusalem for three (3) days
·Recognition – Resignation - Resurrection
a. Recognition – Day one; you truly recognize the problem before you.
b. Resignation – Resigned to the fact that you can’t solve the problem by yourself.
c. Resurrection – God brings resurrection and makes you ready. You, then become a gate.
2. Nehemiah “wept over the ruins in the night.”
a. Night – la’yil (lah’-yil) – “To twist away” A time of darkness and adversity; confusion
b. We must be willing to arise, even in the midst of confusion, to carry out the mission of God
c. Minister Sam Hadley (N.Y.) – “Before God can save our city, he must first break our hearts.”
3. Ezek. 22:30-31 - God sought for someone to stand in the gap – 597 B.C. è destroyed in 596
a. One person CAN make a difference
III. Hand Preparation – The Development of A Sound Plan (vv. 13-15)
A. “He viewed the wall”
1. Shabar (saw-bar’) “to wait expectantly with hope and patience”
a. God conceives the mission in you, but you have to give it birth
b. Josh. 13:1,6 – If you want to be an ’adam, then let me help you find your adamah’, your gift.
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Summary:
Five Ingredients for Success
1. A Noble Purpose – A purpose that’s larger than you.
2. A Willing People – Though they can’t accomplish it, they stand ready.
3. A Burning Passion – The fire of God must be kindled in them.
4. A Clear Plan – More important that it be clear than good. People will follow you through mistakes.
5. A Tenacious Persistence – Praise the successes and point all failures in the direction of success.
