Amen
All right. Well, I'm not gonna go back through the morning announcements, but it's really nice to be back here at Oahu
I was gone for a little bit on the island of Kauai
But let's go right into the title of this message. The title of this message is
revival in Oahu
Nehemiah is one of the greatest characters in the Bible that we can point to as someone who brought revival to his people
Obviously lots of other characters in the Bible show examples of revival. What is revival? Well, the dictionary definition is an
improvement in the condition or strength of something and I like in reviving into something not dying but being brought back
To fruition. I mean think about a plant when you transplant a plant into a new ground, right?
It goes into what's known as a stage of shock
It actually freaked out and think it's gonna die and it starts withering and it actually acts as if it's gonna die
But a lot of times especially young plants when they go through shock
They actually grow back stronger than they would have had they not we have built within us
What's known as a fight-or-flight instinct something about us when you know
Something dangerous is happening or something that is hard is going to go through
We have a tendency to either fight the thing or to fly from it
And that is why if you notice a lot of people who end up in jail a very big strong
Bodybuilding type because their bodies are constantly in a point of stress. They're stressed out
So they're constantly in this fight-or-flight instinct. So when it comes to revival here in Oahu
Let me tell you this guys
This church is not dead and it will not die not if I have anything to say about it
The Lord is not gonna give up on us
I understand what we just went through for the last year has been hard for all of us
Every single one of us outside of Hawaii and across the planet. There's been a lot of issues and I'm not gonna preach a message on
Coronavirus, we've probably heard enough preaching on the subject of coronavirus how we went about it how different churches went about it
What was right what was wrong and all these different things?
I have my opinions and everyone else has their opinions
But nevertheless, you've got to understand that even though the government truly was you know
Suppressing the work of God moving forward if a church decided to slow down their services to stop their services
They're under the impression that at that time the world was going through a black plague now
Obviously, that's not what happened. And obviously people are not gonna like what I have to say on the subject
That's why I'm not preaching at it on the moment one day
I will go and give you a message on the subject of how and what things went down with coronavirus
nevertheless
You know, obviously the government overreach their bounds what they can are allowed to do and everyone
Realizes that this is all a sham and a charade now we as Christians realize that there's no new thing under the Sun now
We were not as Christians
Persecuted in the midst of this was it harder to function? Yes, was it harder to do the things of God?
Yes, but it's not like there is a decree or a law saying go and kill Christians go and stop specifically Christians from what?
They do we see examples throughout the Bible of
specifically killing and destroying the people of God
Nehemiah is a character in the Bible that is not under the Israeli government
He's under the Medo-Persian Empire under our Turk zirksi our dark zirks
He's not saying go kill Jews stop them from doing what they're doing
And as a matter of fact this story in the Bible Ezra and Nehemiah are one of the best books in the Bible that we
Can look to for a straight?
humble real
bonafide genuine man of God who went about what was right and
Mind you notice he served our tart zirks ease
So, you know what that tells me that even in the midst of this when the mayor when the king when the governor when a president
Whoever says, you know, we're gonna start slowing things down
Even
Nehemiah was willing to do it arc zark surcease Ted
But we understand like Romans 13 teaches that we have obey the higher powers first
We get our orders from the Lord Jesus Christ himself even within the Godhead. There's a chain of command
Jesus Christ is not less God than the Father. The Holy Ghost is not less God than Jesus Christ
But there's a chain of command that they follow and we see that example in our lives how we are to function in if at
All possible to live peaceably with all men
I understand there comes a point where we can't live peaceably, but when it comes to what we just went through
Was anyone here put to the chopping block for going out soul winning I
Mean me and my wife did a little bit, but I'm not going to go into that
we'll go into that another time, but did they
Wrangle people up and put them in jail
Did any of you end up in jail? Did any of you get killed for your faith?
No
But you know what the world is slowly opening up and I do believe that we have gone past a point of no return
The bio, you know governments once they gain ground as the saying goes you give them an inch. They're gonna steal the mile obviously
Throughout history we can look at governments over stepping their bounds. What does it mean to be governed?
It means to be ruled by a class or a group of people. We're ruled by the Lord Jesus Christ
He's our final authority
But if the authorities that be said to do something if we can do it we try to and that's why once again
I'm not gonna preach on that subject, but that's gonna lead me into the subject of
Revival, let's bring back to life this church. We couldn't have our first year anniversary
Why?
Because they weren't allowing travel to come down
Pastor Thompson people from the mainland who wanted to be here to have I mean here in Hawaii
We're really big on first birthdays right when a child has their first birthday
We have a huge luau a big shindig kill the pig. We're getting a big party going together
What do you think we wanted to do for our first year anniversary?
We couldn't and that's unfortunate
But you know what the second year anniversary which is coming right around the corner
Could act as that and we could do what we can to have a big shindig and show people that we're not gonna stop
Your global pandemic your suppression of the things of God is not going to prevent or stop the work of God moving forward
Let's revive this church. Let's bring it back to life. Let's strengthen it and grow as a church
so with that being said look down at your Bible at
Nehemiah chapter 2 verse 7 it reads
Moreover I said unto the king if it pleased the king so notice
pause there really quick Nehemiah first
Didn't come to the king and say I don't care what you're saying. I'm gonna do whatever the hell I want and you're gonna listen
Nehemiah was a humble man who was willing as at all possible to live peaceably with all men our tark xerxes was not a good
Godly man
But he was a great king in the sense of he had a lot of rule a lot of leadership bestowed upon him and
Nehemiah realized the importance of trying to appease this person
Why so that they could do the work of God moving forward and he comes to him humbly and he says moreover
I said unto the king if it pleased the king
Let letters be given me to the governors beyond the river that they may convey me over till I come into Judah and a letter
unto
Asaph the keeper of the king's forest that he may give me timber to make beams for the gates
Of the place or the palace which appertained to the house and for the wall of the city and for the house that I shall
Enter into and the king granted me according to the good hand of my God upon me pause there
This is what I was trying to say a moment ago
God is the one who is the really controlling the affairs of men
God allows people to be destroyed and he allows people to prosper. It's not governments
It's not kings and it's not peoples that get us into the state that we're in
It's the Lord who chooses in his foreknowledge when how and why things go the way they are and let me tell you this
We as Hawaii Oahu and America deserve what we went through and that's a theme you're gonna start seeing
Throughout this sermon that a lot of people think that like America can do no wrong
Hawaii can do no wrong and here we are just going about our lives being great godly Christian feeding the blind
feeding the blind reading the Bible to blind people feeding the poor and building handicapped stalls for
People who can't walk and then out of nowhere our government suppressed us. No, that's not what happened now
Yes us as Christians. We're living above reproach. Yes us as Christians
Doing all those things that please the Father as much as we humanly possibly could but the nation as a whole
Hawaii as a whole was
deliberately
Disobeying the commandments of God
Therefore God chose to destroy these people through as it says in the Bible through famine through pestilence through
You know a government suppressing government controlling people now
I'm not saying that what they did was right as a matter of fact what they did was wrong
But we deserve it and I know that's hard for a lot of people to swallow but nevertheless
We as God's people need to be a light unto the rest of the world to show them how to
Get things right with God we quote this passage
So we're blue in the face where it talks about if my people which are called by my name should
Humble themselves and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and heal their land
But if we're not willing to change our ways, why would God do it for us now
Obviously, we can't control other people and how and what they do
But this is why we are to try to bring to life the dead soul bring to life
the light of the glorious gospel under the onto this island and the rest of the world if we humanly
Possibly can and that's gonna bring me into my first point. The first point is this we need to beg God for
Revival yes, you heard me say it beg
Not ask not pray not hope beg all fours
prostrated on the ground face on the earth humbling ourselves
Hoping that the Lord is willing to salvage us if he wants to
Begging is a negative term that the world thinks is bad
How dare you beg someone for something you're you that's being puffed up in pride to think that it's not right to beg
The Lord for things now, I don't necessarily beg men for things. I don't beg
bosses or sinful people for things but I will beg the Lord for
His mercy on us here in Oahu and us here in these Hawaiian islands that he'd be willing to
Extend his hand of mercy. Do you think God wants to destroy us?
Do you think God wants to destroy America? Do you think God wants to destroy the world?
No, God is not willing that any would perish but that all would come to repentance
Nevertheless he is just and he is righteous. He has to
Punish evildoers the Bible says, you know be angry and said not the Lord is angry with the wicked every single day
Which do you not think you can be saved and be wicked there are saved people who are wicked
They're living like the devil
They're doing horrible things and how much more a child of God who is going out of their way
To act like a stupid idiot with the Lord the Bible says in Hebrews chapter 10
It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of a living God. We are held to a higher standard
We are ambassadors in Christ's stead
So when the world looks at us has Bible believing Christians, but there's we're representing the kingdom of heaven
So if we're going around acting like idiots
Why would God not destroy us? It would only be his right to do so
I mean as parents we understand if the child's doing bad
We discipline them because we hate them because we love them because we want what's best for them
Beg the Lord we need to find ourselves
crying begging
Hoping that the Lord would choose in his time and will to have mercy on us and he might not
He may say nope too late. You're done and we have to understand as Bible believing Christians
You know for the Lord gives and the Lord takes away
Blessed be the name of the Lord if God doesn't give you what you ask for in your prayer. Hey, amen
That's great. Everything is to bring Jesus Christ honor and glory
Even when we don't get what we want, even when we think we know what we want in this context
Nehemiah has just gone through seven years of captivity the nation of Israel had been in Babylon
But they knew at least Daniel knew for sure that the Lord was going to deliver them in 70 years
Remember the story of the parable of the figs, right?
There was two sets of figs brought before Jeremiah. He says what do you see?
He says I see some naughty and evil figs and I see some good figs. He's all okay
I'm gonna take the children of Israel out
I'm gonna discard the bad and I'm gonna bring back the good. This is being fulfilled
Nehemiah's day. He knew that it wasn't our Turks Xerxes who's allowing him to do this
It was God allowing our Turks Xerxes to allow Nehemiah to do this the chain of command that we follow as Christians
But you know what at the time before this Nehemiah was going around right?
living his normal life
Not going to church. He's in captivity
He was not doing the right thing
He was serving our Turks Xerxes
That was the right thing to do but notice what it said earlier that he had not been sad in the presence of our Turks
Xerxes, so he was willing to bite his lip and serve him. Anyways, God looked down
favorably on him
specifically because of his humility
Therefore he allowed our Turks Xerxes heart to be moved to allow
Nehemiah to ask to bring back his people into the land of Judah
So yes beg the Lord look back if you would at Nehemiah chapter 1
This is a prime example of what I am trying to talk about that. We are not above
Humbling ourselves in the sight of the Lord notice what it says in Nehemiah chapter 1 verse 1
The words of Nehemiah the son of hakaliah and it came to pass in the month
Kislu and the 20th year as I was in Shushan the palace that Hanani one of my brethren
Came he in certain men of Judah and I asked him concerning the Jews that had escaped which were left of the captivity and concerning
Jerusalem 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
And it came to pass when I heard these words that I sat down and what wept
cried and it
Fasted and prayed before the God of heaven. Let me pause there really quick
Are you too good to cry for your nation? Are you too good to cry for your island?
Are you too good to cry for your people?
There's gonna be another message that I'm going to go into about how even men cry some people think men are above crying
You know what? I cry for my people. I cry for these islands. I cry for my brothers and sisters in Christ
I'm not gonna go around like a baby weeping everywhere I go, but I will take my
supplication my prayer to the Lord in my closet and beg him for mercy for
The problems that are going on around me if you think for one second you walk around Waikiki
See a bunch of homeless people who are degenerates stupid drug abuse
Idiots and not think to yourself for one second like what an unfortunate thing
I've seen people come out of drug abuse and
Psycho problems and just destroying their lives. I don't want them to be destroyed. Yes
I don't want the children of the devil to succeed
But the sons of Adam didn't just stupid sinners and we should beg the Lord to have mercy on them
I mean remember in Jesus Christ's ministry
There's a man full with a legion of demon which is thousands of demons
He had mercy on this guy cast the demons out of him and was able to save him
We should want the same for the people here in Hawaii and understand this it was bad before I left
But since I've been back the crackhead demographic is like quadrupled. I've only been back for a couple of days
Oh my goodness
I went to Walmart just the other day to grab something and
I sat there for a little bit waiting for my wife to pick me up and
Over the course of less than an hour. I probably had some two three hundred people walk past me all of them
crackheads
degenerates
people barking at the sky
Screaming at each other screaming at themselves and I wasn't like a good for these losers good for these dumb monkeys
No, you know what I said
I said God
Have mercy on these people have mercy here on this island because for crying out loud
If we're not gonna be sincere in what we do
Then what are we doing this for? I don't want to see
Normal average Joe get destroyed and neither should we now that's not to justify their decision-making
Obviously, it's whoever a man sows that is what he will reap if a guy chooses to be an idiot and destroy their lives
Maybe the Lord is trying to slam you to the earth to bring you crawling to him
Like I said a moment ago eat a bag the Lord us included
Nehemiah was not above this he understood this. Let's keep going and reading it goes on to say
Let's reread for and it came to pass when I heard these words that I sat down and wept and mourn
Certain days and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven and said I beseech the Oh Lord God of heaven
The great and terrible God that keepeth covenant and mercy for them that love him and observe his commandments
Let thine ear now be attentive and thine eyes open that thou mayest hear the prayer of thy servant
Which I pray before thee now notice the beginning of the prayer in verse 5
It says and I and said I beseech thee what does this word mean beseech?
Notice a lot of our times as we're reading our Bible
We kind of will find a word and we just kind of roll right past it don't roll past this word
What does it mean to beseech something the dictionary says ask?
someone
urgently and
Fervently to do something and it gives two synonyms to implore or to entreat
Well, what does it mean to implore something because we don't walk around saying like I implore that you please hand me some bread
We don't speak like that, right, but implore guess what? The definition is beg someone earnestly and desperately
to do something now, like I said if you're a man and you're hungry and
You're not working if a man doesn't work neither shall he eat like I said, I'm not
Saying that people don't reap what they sow
But what if a man works two three jobs has ten children and could barely get ends meet
For crying out loud. Do we not believe that that happens that especially here in Hawaii with the economy now going to be
Skyrocketing here in a moment where you know inflation is going to destroy the middle and lower class people
like I said, that's another message, but we
Understand that begging is a Christian principle not necessarily to man but to God
We need to find ourselves begging the Lord for his mercy
Let's go on to keep reading. It says in verse 6 let thine ear
Now be attentive and thine eyes open that thou mayest hear the prayer of thy servant
Which I pray before thee now day and night for the children of Israel thy servants and confess the sins of the children
Of Israel which we who we have sinned against thee both I and my father's house have sinned
Pause see this is what I'm trying to say we deserve what we went through and some people think that's mess like no
I didn't deserve this I was living great. I was doing amazing things
I was oh I was just always doing the right thing and you mean to tell me you don't have sin in your life
There's not a just man upon the earth that doeth good and sinneth not if we say we have no sin we deceive
Ourself the truth is not in us
That's not to say that you know here this horrible degenerate
But I'm saying you and the Lord knows the sins that we struggle with every day and Nehemiah
the humble man that he was said and
Confist the sins of the children of Israel which we have done both I and my father's house
Nehemiah wasn't perfect and he knew that and we need to understand has people who are trying to live above reproach has people are trying
To be sanctified as God's people
People who are trying to go out and do a real work still have sinned and we still need to be punished for our wrongdoings
So with that being said let's keep going
Verse 7 we have dealt very corruptly against thee and have not kept the commandments nor the statutes nor the judgments
Which thou commandest thy servant Moses
Remember, I beseech thee pause. There's the second time that word is being mentioned
beseeched
The word that thou commandest thy servant Moses saying if he transgress I will scatter you abroad among the nations
But if he turn unto me and keep my commandments and do them though there were of you cast out
unto the uttermost parts of the heaven
Yet will I gather them from thence and will bring them unto the place that I have chosen to set my name there
Now these are the servants and the people whom thou hast redeemed by the great power and by the strong hand Oh Lord
I beseech thee third time one chapter this words being mentioned
There's a very important rule of Bible interpretation that I explain to people that any time God is trying to emphasize something
Emphasize that God is using this word for a reason this chapter is Nehemiah
begging the Lord for forgiveness for mercy to save his people out of captivity and if
He's gonna be begging the Lord
That means I need to be find myself begging the Lord and it goes on to read Oh Lord
I beseech thee let now thine ear be
Attentive to the prayer of thy servant and to the prayer of thy servants who desire to fear thy name and prosper
I pray thee I
Pray thy servant this day and grant him mercy and the side of this man for I was the king's cupbearer right there
The this man is in reference to our dark Xerxes then we go right into chapter 2 and he explains
Let me have mercy in the king's eyes that I may have mercy and the Lord granted him this prayer
God doesn't answer every pray that prayer that we have and the Bible does say you don't need to turn there in James chapter 4
Verse 1 from whence came wars and fighting's among you came they not hence even of your lusts that
war in your members
Ye lust and have not ye kill and desire to have and cannot obtain ye fight and war
Why?
Ye have not because he asked not ye ask and receive not why
Because he asked amiss that you may consume it upon your lusts
We ask God for things we need to ask Christians ask it assuming it's gonna happen
But look if I ask the Lord for a vehicle right because we just moved back here and we needed a vehicle
Number one to help this church grow to pick people up going soul-winning so we can help this church
Move forward and revive it, but I also need to get to work and we need to go grocery shopping
But can I do all those things without a car? Of course?
So if I ask the Lord and I beg him for a Lamborghini, do you think I'm gonna get it?
What good is the Lamborghini gonna bring honor and glory to the Lord?
Why would he give me a Lamborghini so I can go speeding around and get a ticket and get you know more destitute financially
No, he's gonna find me a mom van or a little dinky slow car that will
Get as many people inside of it to bring to this church so we can go out
Soul-winning so we can go out and preach the message of salvation
That's what it means when you have not he asked amiss
You know if we're in our prayer in reference to this
You know
Church like, you know Lord, please help us to grow as a church
But only the kind of people that I like to hang out with
Then we're not praying the right prayer because we need to understand that God Jesus Christ the two times
He was most upset in his ministry has when they were in the temple selling things
It wasn't what they were selling. That was the problem. It's where they were doing it
He comes in cracks him with the whip dries him out and he says take these things
Hence because you've made my father's house a house or a den of iniquity
It's supposed to be a house of prayer to who to all people
look, I
Don't think you've noticed this but I have a unique personality. We all have unique personalities
We need to look past each other's faults and realize we are brothers and sisters
Working together and they're gonna be more people who come and guess what?
They're gonna have weird personalities and it's not where you and I've heard this preached before and I like how this is said
It's not where you are in your Christian life
It's which way you're facing
You could be almost to perfection
But facing the wrong direction or you could be a babe in Christ just got saved and you're facing the right direction
And I have more in common with that person because they're trying to move forward in their Christian life
Yes, this guy is farther along in his life
But he's also looking back at things and looking back at the world and not necessarily striving for perfection
so when we grow Lord willing if he decides to
Let's remember to have mercy with people who come here that they're in different stages of their life
they've been having different backgrounds and we need to
Pass each other's fault and grow as a church and be willing to ask the Lord to bring who he wants into his church
Not who I want who you want, but who the Lord wants the Lord
I mean how many times have you in your life gone around, you know talking to professed Christians and
You know, there are some weird people out there. I'm gonna admit, you know, like we always think we know it's best
We always think we're normal but you know
I'll hate to say this where we all got our own quarks and our own little things that irritate people period that's just the facts
of reality, but
You find someone who's truly genuinely saved
believes alone in Christ
Servant of the Lord, but they do it differently
They do it. Like I don't know. They just have a different quirk about them or like how they go about things
Can we look past that
Can we just say hey bless the Lord that you're willing to do the work of God and invest in the people of God
I mean if we don't do that
Then the Lord's not gonna answer our prayer to have revival because like I just mentioned a moment ago
There's lots of people right now who are destitute and destroying their lives
They're gonna come here with problems potentially and I'm not saying we're gonna let some
Schizophrenic pedophile coming around here
What I'm saying is that some people are in different walks in their life and we need to have the Lord build his church
Not us build a social club that we think is best but who the Lord wants here
He'll make sure the Bible says you
You know ask and you shall receive knock and it will be open seek and you will find I did it backwards
But that's you know, people who want to know the truth will find themselves here Lord willing
But turn to your Bibles if you would to first Kings
This isn't unique to Nehemiah a man who is willing to beg the Lord a great
You know governor that he was a ruler that was able to help his people come out
But in first Kings chapter 8 we see King Solomon doing the exact same thing King Solomon
Had just finished building the temple
Solomon was the king of rest right because David went out and fought the Lord's battle and created a boundary where Israel can exist
And the other nations will leave him alone and they can have their own kingdom. Then he bestows the kingdom on Solomon his son
Amen was a man who was willing to ask for wisdom to know how to govern the people to know how to serve
Lord and to help the people so he decided to build the temple now
There is nothing wrong with building the temple, but it was not God's intent for them to do so
So with that being said King Solomon made a prayer to the Lord and this is a famous passage of the Bible
Solomon's prayer I'm not gonna read the whole thing for sake of time because if you look Solomon's prayer is 66 verses long
So we're not gonna read the whole prayer. I want you to see look down at your Bible at first Kings chapter 8 verse
22 it reads and
Solomon stood before the altar of the Lord in the presence of all the congregation of Israel and
Spread forth his hands toward heaven and he said Lord God of Israel
There is no God like thee and heaven above or on earth beneath who keep his commandments
And mercies with thy servants that walk before thee with all their heart
Who has kept with thy servant David my father that thou?
Promestest him how spake is also with thy mouth and has fulfilled it with thine hand as it is this day
Therefore now one more time. This is another important rule of Bible interpretation
Anytime you see the word therefore look what it's there for so he just mentioned what I said in a second ago King David went
And cleaned house and created a place for them to serve the Lord
Therefore now Lord God of Israel keep with thy servant David my father that thou
Promestest him saying there shall not fail thee a man in my sight to sit on the throne of Israel
So that thy children take heed to their way that they walk before me as thou hast walked before me
And now O Lord of Israel let thy word
I pray thee be verified which thou spake is unto thy servant David my father pause one more time
He says I want you to verify this he says you already said you're gonna
Do this just show the people you're gonna do this haven't you heard that term used in like you know signing a documents?
Can you verify this for me?
Can you prove that this is legitimate and it goes on to read in verse 27, but will God indeed dwell on the earth?
Behold the heaven and heaven of heavens cannot contain thee how much less this house that I have builded
Yet have thou respect under the prayer of thy servant and to his what
Supplication Oh Lord my God to harken under the cry and to the prayer
Which thy servant prayeth before thee today?
That thine eyes may be opened toward this house nine and day even toward the place of
Which thou hast said my name shall be there that thou mayest
Harken under the prayer which thy servant shall make toward this place and then watch this and harken thou to the
Supplication of thy servant and of the people Israel when they shall pray towards this place and hear thou in
Heaven thy dwelling place and when thou hearest forgive now notice
It wasn't just enough for Solomon just to pray for just Nehemiah to pray, but he's saying
In verse 30 and harken thou to the supplication of thy servant and of thy people Israel
When they shall pray towards this place we all together
Need to find ourselves begging God. I can't emphasize this enough. You want revival
You need to get on your knees and beg the Lord to be willing to do something like this for us
We can do nothing without God if God be for us who can be against us our dark Xerxes
I don't care if it's Biden Trump devil one or devil two
Whether it's this mayor that mayor this governor or that governor as long as God be for us
He will allow us to move forward in the work of God and revive this place look
It's not a joke. This is not a game. I preached a message a long time ago here saying we're not playing church
I'm not playing church
This isn't a game to me and a lot of us are invested in this and we have to make the succeed
Why because last year how many of you were able to go to a church not too many of us, right?
I know I wasn't I was on the island of Kauai
I tried to go to a church
But they would only allow congregates and they had other rules why they wouldn't let anyone outside of congregates come they would rotate them
Ten only at a time whatever the church decided to do, but I wasn't even allowed to go to church
I was in sin now could I have stayed here and you know found a way to make things happen of course
I could have but nevertheless when I got let go of my job as
Two-thirds of the island did I had work lined up for me on the island of Kauai and I have to feed my wife
And I and look you know
And I know that there are people across the planet in Brazil in China and Africa that don't have a church
They don't have a real church there
But we do here on Oahu have a church and we need to find ourselves
investing in this and
We're gonna go into my next point
But first let me finish off with this turn if you would to Daniel chapter 9 because like I said this isn't unique to
Nehemiah this isn't unique to
Solomon this isn't unique to any of the great men in the Bible all of them were willing to beg the Lord for
Revival remember like I said earlier that in the story of Jeremiah with the parable of the figs and the the good figs in the bag
figs
Daniel understood what that meant because it says in verse 1
and
The first year of Darius the son of Ahasuerus of the seeds seed of the Medes
Which was made King over the realm of the Chaldeans in the Chaldeans in the first year of his reign I Daniel
Understood by books the number of the years where of the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah the Prophet that he would accomplish
70 years in the desolation of Jerusalem, and I set my face to the Lord God to seek by prayer and what?
Supplications with what?
Fasting and sackcloth and ashes so Daniel has put ash on his head sackcloth
Which is this rough garment?
He's begging and crying to the Lord that he would fulfill what he said he would do in the book of Jeremiah
And it goes on to read and I prayed under the Lord my God and made my confession and said oh
Lord the great and dreadful God pause I forgot to point this out
But notice all three prayers started off with oh Lord God the terrible God
Oh Lord God the real God of heaven this one says oh Lord God the
Dreadful God if you do not fear God
He will make sure you find a way of having fear for him and yes
I said fear not respect or just respect but fear and trembling as the Bible says we need to be
Afraid of our parents when they when we do wrong as kids, right?
You need to be afraid that if you choose to deliberately disobey that they will discipline you because they love you
And if not, then you don't have a healthy, you know relationship with your parent and it goes on to read
And I prayed unto the Lord my God and made my confession and said oh Lord the great and dreadful God
Keeping the Covenant and mercy to them that love him and to them that keep his commandments
We have sinned and have committed iniquity and have done wickedly and have rebelled
Even by departing from thy precepts and from thy judgments neither have we hearken unto the servants the prophets which spake in
Thy name to our kings our princes and our fathers to do all the people or to all the people of the land. Oh Lord
Righteousness belongeth unto thee but unto us confusion of faces. So Daniel saying we deserve what we just went through
As at this day to the men of Judah and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem and in unto all
Israel that are near and that are far off through all the countries whether thou hast driven them because of their
Trespass that they have trespassed against thee Oh Lord to us belongeth
confusion of face to our kings to our princes and to our fathers because we have sinned against thee to the Lord our God belong
Mercies and forgiveness though we have rebelled against him neither have we obeyed the voice of the Lord our God
To walk in his laws, which he set before us by his servants the prophets. Yea all Israel who all
Israel have transgressed thy law even by departing that they might not obey thy voice
Therefore remember what is it therefore?
The
Curse is poured upon us and the oath that is written in the law of Moses the servant of God because we have sinned
Against him and he hath confirmed his words
Which he spake against us
against our judges that judged us by bringing upon us a great evil from under the whole heaven hath not been done as hath
been done and upon Jerusalem
As it is written the law of Moses
Notice that is the second mention of him talking about the law of Moses, and I'm gonna go into that in just a moment
As it is written in the law of Moses all this evil has come upon us
Yet made we not our prayer before the Lord our God that we might turn from our iniquities and understand thy truth
Therefore hath the Lord watched upon the evil and brought it upon us
For the Lord our God is righteous in all his works
Which he doeth for we obeyed not his voice and now Oh Lord our God
That hath brought thy people forth out of the land of Egypt with a mighty hand and has gotten thee renowned
Has at this day we have sinned we have done wickedly pause there really quick notice
He brought up the concept of God leading the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt, right?
This is an important point why because notice with Nehemiah
God allowed our dark Xerxes to let the children go of Israel, but what happened with the children of Israel and Egypt?
He Pharaoh did not let the children of Israel go so what then did they do then they decided we're gonna serve the Lord
Anyways, we're asking for your permission to do this
God is going to curse you if you don't do this you don't think God's gonna curse the
American government the Hawaiian government if they choose to fight against the Lord's people of
Course he's going to if they're going to take it upon themselves to stop to prevent
To make it harder for us to move forward if God be for us who can be against us
We saw what happened with Pharaoh and the people that followed him that should be a warning to any governed body
That says are you willing to stretch forth your hand against the Lord's anointed?
Are you willing to fight against God because remember like I said a moment ago
We are ambassadors right in Christ's stead and we represent the kingdom of heaven
So if an ambassador showed up, how are you gonna treat that person and we see the same principle taught right here
Look down at your Bible at verse 16. Oh Lord according to all thy righteousness
I beseech thee let thine anger and thy fury be turned away from thy city
Jerusalem thy holy mountain because for our sins and for the iniquity is our fathers
Jerusalem and thy people have become a reproach to all that are about us now
Therefore Oh our God hear the prayer of thy servant and his what?
Supplications and cause thy face to shine upon thy sanctuary that is desolate for the Lord's sake
Oh my god incline thine ear and here open thine eyes and behold our desolations and
the city which is called by thy name for we do not present our supplications before the
Before thee for our righteousnesses, but for thy great mercies. I'm gonna pause you there. I mean, this is Daniel
We have Daniel we have Nehemiah. We have Solomon. I'm even gonna go into the other stories of Abraham
What did Abraham say when the Lord was going to rain fire and brimstone on the nation of Sodom and Gomorrah
Which was legitimate mind you Sodom and Gomorrah. They were sinners above the Lord exceedingly
They were deserving of what they got. But what did Abraham say? He said if there be 50 righteous
Will you spare this place says if there is 50 I'd spare this place. He goes. What about five less?
What about five less? What about five less and he gets to ten and every time he comes to God
He's like, please don't be angry with your servant. I'm just you know, what if it's 45? What if it's 30?
What if it's 10 and the gods like if there's 10 people I'd spare this place
What did Jesus say in the New Testament if the mighty acts which were done here in Capernaum and Bethsaida?
Had been done in the nation of Sodom they'd repented in sackcloth and ashes
That's why I'm trying to say when we look at the degeneracy here in Oahu. We need to have sympathy for these people
We don't have sympathy for sodomites children of the devil and people who are trying to attack the things of God
But even Abraham realized he knew lot lived in Sodom
So he knew at least lot was righteous and we know there are seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to bail here
in Oahu
I am sure we could find them wrangle them up and get them to this church and get them to understand the
Severity of what's bestowed upon them us to go out and be a light unto the rest of this island
So that they can know the truth and the truth will what obviously make them free
People keep talking about like Oh suppression and government overreach and all this stuff. I don't feel
Suppressed. I mean do I got to put on a mask?
Yes, and that trust me is another sermon that I'll preach that I don't think is legitimate, but I do it anyways
not because I
Have to but because if I wanted to you don't think I could find a way around it
I'm sure we could find a way around it, but it's not that's not the hill
I'm gonna die on I'm not gonna die on the hill of things that are of this world
We don't need to have our minds on the things of this world
Everything's gonna burn the nation the car the house
Physically this body it will be new
This world is not gonna last the things that are temporal or the things that are seen are temporal
But the things that are not seen they're eternal
What like the souls of men what like the attitudes of Christians and how they are to move forward and the things of God
We have another example of Moses Moses leading the children out of the land of Egypt
We're murmuring and complaining and God was like I'm gonna take these guys out and I'll make a nation of you Moses
Moses was like Lord, please have mercy on these people. They're idiots
They don't know what they're doing and God said because of you Moses. I'll spare this people because of new Nehemiah
I will spare these people because of you Daniel
I will spare these people because the people who are willing to pray to God
Beg beg beg him he may have mercy on us. He may not
But blessed be the name of the Lord anyways, right because it's all flesh no flesh
Will glory in his presence
so
My righteousness is your righteousness is our good things that we do
Are not gonna be compared to the thing that Jesus Christ has done for us
He died in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us
Okay, David revival. We get it beg the Lord easy done. Do you stop there? Is that where we stop?
You and I have heard too many pastors talk about revival we need revival let's get revival Lord give us revival
Go
Wait, what do you mean go? You said you want a revival, right? What are you doing?
This is my next point and this is a very important saying in my house
Doing something get something done doing nothing gets nothing done one more time doing
Something gets something done doing nothing gets nothing done
If you're gonna sit there from a pulpit or in your friends and say let's beg the Lord for revival
Let's see what we can do and then do nothing guess what you're not gonna get
Revival the whole entire book of Nehemiah has Nehemiah
Working doing great things for God throughout the book. I can't even go into the whole entire book
It's people trying to suppress him
We're trying to stop him and have to have a sword in one hand and a tool in the other hand and this is a
Symbolism of our Christian life. We need to work for the Lord. That is our priority number one his work
But we need to defend ourselves as well because understand this. Yeah, all that live godly in Christ
Jesus shall suffer persecution
You already know that we've experienced that but here's the thing when you do something real
When you see real revival when you see real things happening for God
People do not want that to happen
People do not want the work of God to move forward. So we need to be willing to fight the Lord's battle by
Defending ourselves and actually turn if you went to Nehemiah chapter 4 I
wasn't going to go into this because of for sake of time, but
This is a good point to point out about how
He's just constantly working throughout the whole book Nehemiah chapter 4 I think it's verse
5 verse 4 here. Oh our God for we are
Despised and turn their reproach upon their own head and give them for a prey in the captivity
In the land of captivity and cover not their iniquity and let not their sin be blotted out out from before thee
For they have provoked thee to anger be for the builders
So build me the wall and all the wall was joined together under the half thereof for the people had a mind to what to?
work
so
context and Sanballat and
Tobiah was the other guy with the two these guys are suppressing the work of God. They try to make fun of them
It didn't work. They kept moving forward. So they try to physically stop them and
You know Nehemiah prays a precatorial prayer to these guys because understand this though people are not gonna like what we're doing
It takes a special evil kind of person to fight against it. Why don't you go live your life?
Why don't you go do whatever the hell you want to do you want to not like the church go do that over there
but if you're gonna
Willingly consciously go out of your way to stop and suppress the work of God
Karen population has grown immensely in the midst of this pandemic
Karen's are out screaming like banshees trying to see how many churches they can suppress and mind you every
Idol word will be held accountable at the day of judgment
So if every Karen out there heard this message and understood if you're willing to take it upon yourself to make a false
accusation against brothers and sisters in Christ
You have a hot spot in hell if you don't put your faith in Christ because I don't want Karen to go to hell
I want Karen to be saved. I wanted to learn from the errors of her ways
Nevertheless they're still going out there doing what they want to do. And that's what I mean
They're first going to try to discourage you then they're actually going to consciously fight against you, but we need to remember that
Elsewhere throughout this book Nehemiah they keep asking for Nehemiah. Can you come Nehemiah? We have something to tell you
He's like, I'm busy working Nehemiah. We really need to talk to you
I'm busy working and it does it like four separate times and we don't need to right every wrong in our lives
Throughout our Christian life, especially preaching the Word of God, you know
People are not gonna like what they have to hear, right?
But I don't need to defend every single time someone has a problem with me
I don't need to take it upon myself to right every wrong. That's not my job
It'd be a full-time job to do that
So we just need to move forward and do the work of God we get it David beg the Lord we get it David
Doing something gets something done. You don't need to turn there, but it says in Acts 20 verse 22 and now behold
I go bound in the spirit unto Jerusalem not knowing the things that shall befall me there
Say that the Holy Ghost witnesses in every city saying that bonds and afflictions abide me
But none of these things move me neither count on my life dear unto myself so that I might finish my I'm sorry
So I have my finish my course with joy and the ministry which I have received of the Lord Jesus to
Testify the gospel of the grace of God turn if you would to Deuteronomy chapter 28
This is the last spot. I'm gonna have you look
because remember throughout these
Prayers right constantly they keep asking or they keep mentioning the law of Moses. They keep pointing back at Moses
They're like like your servant Moses has said like your servant Moses has written
Like it says in the law like it says in the statutes like it says over there
Twice it says it in Daniel and so on and so forth. So let us look at that passage that he's talking about
Deuteronomy chapter 28 is a very great passage in the Bible. It is
68 verses long we're not gonna go into the whole entire
Chapter because that deserves a whole sermon in and of itself to look down in your Bible at verse 1
It says and it shall come to pass if thou shalt harken diligently into the voice of the Lord thy God
To observe and to do all his commandments
Which I command thee this day that the Lord thy God will set thee on high above all nations of the earth
And all these blessings shall come on thee and
Overtake thee if thou shalt harken unto the voice of the Lord thy God
Blessed shalt thou be in the city and blessed shalt thou be in the field. So God notice we're in Deuteronomy, right?
We have Genesis Exodus Leviticus numbers and then Deuteronomy
So we're only a couple of chapters away to the very end right the very end is, you know chapter 34
So we're a couple of chapters away from the very last
Thoughts of the law what God wants us to know and he says if you do everything that I've commanded you
Have you explained all these things and if you live by these things, you'll be blessed
God will be for you. You'll have your land and
Vineyards and everything going right but notice look down at verse 15 the Bible reads
But it shall come to pass if once again that word if is is
So important don't pass that if
Thou wilt heart not harken unto the voice of the Lord thy God to observe to do all his commandments and his statutes
Which I command thee this day that all these curses shall come upon thee and overtake thee
curse shalt thou be in the city and curse shalt thou be in the field, so
Once again, if you look at the book or this chapter as a whole there are 68 verses
14 of them are God's blessing on these people if they choose to listen
But then you have from verse 15 all the way to the end of God's
Cursing on them if they're not going to do what he says and the cursings are
Double amount of what the blessings are what that tells us as Christians that we are held to a higher
Standard unto whom much is given of him should much be required like what?
Salvation like what the words of God like what a church
We have these things to help us in our life to guide us into all wisdom and understanding
You know we need to not forsake the assembling of ourselves together as the manner of some is which the world did
the manner of some is but so much the more we need to do it as the day of Christ approaches and
If you're going to deliberately disobey as a child of God
It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of a living God God has a special punishment just for you
Because he wants people to look at you and emulate him all our actions are to bring honor and glory to the Lord
Jesus Christ, and if we coward in our boots then people are going to think well Jesus is a coward
No, that's not the truth
That's not the fact the Lord Jesus Christ is going to come with power one day
And we understand as we approach the end that men will wax worse and worse we get that we know that the world's not
Gonna get better
It's gonna get worse
But it also says in the book of Daniel that towards the end they that do know their God shall do great exploits
That's us. This is the elite crew you guys
Jesus Christ, and you know John the Baptist and the disciples got so many people saved
But how many people went to the first?
Service outside of when Jesus ascended on up into heaven a couple hundred or a hundred so people right?
You know we're still here, and we're still moving forward. We need to take it upon ourselves to do
something
Doing nothing will get nothing done if you hear a man of God talking about revival, and then doesn't point you in a direction
Then you're not getting revival. God is using us to beseeb bestowed upon us the ministry of
Reconciliation it is given unto us to do the work of God. We're not Calvinists
We don't believe that God is this going to do it with or without us. He needs us to do the work
And
If you don't get that then we won't be revived and we'll be destroyed and that'll be it game over done finito finished
But you know what I've begged the Lord
I've cried in my closet that he would be willing to have mercy on let alone me and my wife and my family
You guys and your families and the people of this island and all these islands because look
People are dying and going to hell every single day
In the midst of this pandemic remember hurricane Douglas rolled around, right?
my wife and I went soul-winding on the island of Kauai and
People are boarding up for Douglas, which you know it's kind of an ongoing joke here in Hawaii every time they scream hurricane
It's like oh here. We go another hurricane right we used to have one every decade
but but we three decades behind on one and
Personally, I don't think one's coming until the Lord Jesus Christ comes and that one will be a big one
regardless, they're claiming a hurricane's in a common and take out lots of Hawaii and you know
People thought it was weird during the pandemic that water and toilet paper went missing
We go through that every other year here in Hawaii
Where lines go through Costco and they buy out toilet paper and water till a lot of people out already store that stuff in their
homes, but we're going around soul-winning and
People
Are boarding up their windows and stuff like that and where we got to this one house and there's this lady
And she's being really receptive. She likes what she's hearing. She's like talking with us
I'm like, oh, yeah, sure
Sure me show me more share and let's see what you got to say out of nowhere
What seems to be a son or a younger?
Person a friend of hers comes rolling out and he's all how dare you proselytize
Proselytize during a time where the there's a global pandemic and there's a hurricane you're praying on people's fears to
You know proselytize and I looked at it. My wife looked at me and she made a joke
She's like, this is the best time to go so winning and I she said it like under her breath to me
but like I thought about it, yeah, this is the best time to go so winning because
You know, they talk about essential business, right?
Jesus says I must be about my father's business and how much more
Essential is the message of the gospel and hope and the time when the world is going to hell in a handbasket
So obviously we just kept moving forward and you know, it's just funny that in the midst of this
We were able to see people saved
I'm sure you guys saw people saved while you were here and we were able to you know, do things and
That's what I'm trying to get into
Revival here in Oahu means we need to beg God if he's willing to save us
He may not be and we got to accept that and be ready for that
But you know what? I believe that the Lord is merciful. He is quick to mercy and slow to wrath and
especially because there are seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to bail here, I believe as
Abraham said if there are 50 righteous, would you do if there's so many righteous then?
I'm sure he will save this island and all these islands
But not only that we got to do something we got to get off our butts and go out so winning
But it's not enough just to go so winning. I
Understand that that's the first work. The first work is giving the gospel to the lost
But we also have to baptize them in the name of the Father the Son and Holy Ghost and teach them to observe all things
Whatsoever Christ has commanded but take it to the bank
my plan is to go out and hogtie people and drag them into church if I have to because
Obviously people are not interested in coming to church and they're afraid that they're gonna get in trouble
The governor and the mayor were saying you can't even get more than 10 people in your house together
Bad for you guys because you have you know, what 12 people in your house naturally?
so it's like it's unfortunate that they think that they can
Stop a house church for crying out loud
now I do plan to grow into a
Congregation big enough to fit into a building but that doesn't mean we will that doesn't mean that's guaranteed
But if we don't do the work and it's not on just me it's not like okay David you make this happen
I'm gonna do my part and we all have a part the hand can't see to the foot
I have no need of thee. We all have a function. We all have a part
Let us come together beg the Lord and be willing to go out let alone preach the gospel
But compel them to come into the church and with that being said, I believe that the Lord
That he is faithful and we will truly see a revival here in the island of Oahu
Spire heads and have a word of prayer
Dear Heavenly Father, thank you so much for allowing Louisa and I to get here allowing us to
You know get a house get a car and all that, you know worldly not important stuff
but we ask that you help all of us that our hearts are geared towards you and that we
Understand what's bestowed upon us the importance of doing what is necessary to bring you honor and glory
Please help us to become united to come together and we know that if we're all united nothing can stop us
Because if you before us nothing could be against us the gates of hell will not prevail and we just ask that you help
Strengthen us, you know, we're only as strong as our weakest link, but a weak link doesn't mean they're weak
We want to constantly strengthen all of us myself included I want to take heed lest I fall
I understand that at any moment I can choose to be an idiot just help but so on all of us
The Holy Spirit fill us up to do something real for you. We love and we praise you and in Jesus Christ name we pray. Amen