Boundaries - We All Need Them - 2

Subject - Building The Wall That keeps Us safe

by Rick Welborne

Proverbs 22:28 (NKJV) 

28 Do not remove the ancient landmark Which your fathers have set. 

Nehemiah 1:14 (NKJV) 

1 The words of Nehemiah the son of Hachaliah. It came to pass in the month of Chislev, in the twentieth year, as I was in Shushan the citadel, 

2 that Hanani one of my brethren came with men from Judah; and I asked them concerning the Jews who had escaped, who had survived the captivity, and concerning Jerusalem. 

3 And they said to me, "The survivors who are left from the captivity in the province are there in great distress and reproach. The wall of Jerusalem is also broken down, and its gates are burned with fire." 

4 So it was, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned for many days; I was fasting and praying before the God of heaven. 

–Last week we spoke of having boundaries or fences in our lives to keep us safe and that seemed to strike a cord with so many...we all need certain limitations on our lives.

–We are overwhelmed not just because we have no walls or fences in our lives but also because the ones we do have are broken down and the gates are burned.

–We see prodigals living outside God’s fences and many friends paying the consequences of crossing boundaries because the walls were broken down.

–We need to realize as Nehemiah did that people are in great distress and reproach because the walls that used to be there to protect them are broken down. Have compassion.

–With God’s help I want to encourage you to rebuild the walls in your life that are supposed to be there to protect you and to keep the enemy out.

–Do not confuse the walls we are speaking about today with the walls in your lives that need to be broken down...insecurity, addiction, bondage, anger, fear.

–What we are speaking about today are walls, fences, boundaries that God has intended to be there to keep you safe from the enemy of your soul.

–So what was it that Nehemiah had to do to see the walls and gates restored?

1. To see the walls restored there must be sincere praying and repenting before the God of Heaven. 

Nehemiah 1:511 (NKJV) 

5 And I said: "I pray, LORD God of heaven, O great and awesome God, You who keep Your covenant and mercy with those who love You and observe Your commandments, 

6 please let Your ear be attentive and Your eyes open, that You may hear the prayer of Your servant which I pray before You now, day and night, for the children of Israel Your servants, and confess the sins of the children of Israel which we have sinned against You. Both my father's house and I have sinned. 

7 We have acted very corruptly against You, and have not kept the commandments, the statutes, nor the ordinances which You commanded Your servant Moses. 

8 Remember, I pray, the word that You commanded Your servant Moses, saying, 'If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the nations; 

9 but if you return to Me, and keep My commandments and do them, though some of you were cast out to the farthest part of the heavens, yet I will gather them from there, and bring them to the place which I have chosen as a dwelling for My name.' 

10 Now these are Your servants and Your people, whom You have redeemed by Your great power, and by Your strong hand. 

11 O Lord, I pray, please let Your ear be attentive to the prayer of Your servant, and to the prayer of Your servants who desire to fear Your name; and let Your servant prosper this day, I pray, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man." For I was the king's cupbearer. 

–Prayer and repentance to the Lord Jesus must be the foundation of the walls or fences in our lives.

–To have secure boundaries or borders in our lives there must be a strong foundation. The Bible is clear about Who that would be:

1 Corinthians 3:1011 (NKJV) 

10 According to the grace of God which was given to me, as a wise master builder I have laid the foundation, and another builds on it. But let each one take heed how he builds on it. 

11 For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. 

–Hear me...we pray to Jesus...we repent to Jesus and we build on Jesus...pray in His Name

–We confess that we have sinned and have been negligent about establishing boundaries in our lives and our children’s lives.

–Because of this many have been scattered...many who have said they loved Jesus have fallen away...why?  The walls were down and the enemy came in.

–We have given the enemy access long enough and now it is time for it to stop...we have to rebuild the walls so that we and our families can be safe.

–God said...9 but if you return to Me, and keep My commandments and do them, though some of you were cast out to the farthest part of the heavens, yet I will gather them from there, and bring them to the place which I have chosen as a dwelling for My name.' 

–His promise is that He will bring them back within safe boundaries...we want there to be a returning of prodigals...for them to return to the walls of safety...the church.

–Satan loves to divide, to tear down, and to conquer...it is time for us to rebuild the walls and for our sons and daughters to be more than conquerors. 

2. To see the walls restored someone has to go before the King and petition Him for the needs of the people.

–Nehemiah prayed for mercy and then went before the king...we have to do the same...we must go before King Jesus to get help to rebuild the walls. 

Nehemiah 2:25 (NKJV) 

2 Therefore the king said to me, "Why is your face sad, since you are not sick? This is nothing but sorrow of heart." So I became dreadfully afraid, 

3 and said to the king, "May the king live forever! Why should my face not be sad, when the city, the place of my fathers' tombs, lies waste, and its gates are burned with fire?" 

4 Then the king said to me, "What do you request?" So I prayed to the God of heaven. 

5 And I said to the king, "If it pleases the king, and if your servant has found favor in your sight, I ask that you send me to Judah, to the city of my fathers' tombs, that I may rebuild it."

–Do you just suppose God is waiting for someone to come before Him with a sincere heart to help others by rebuilding their walls.  Imagine God saying...What do you request?

–Because Nehemiah was a faithful servant with a gracious heart...the king was more than ready to bless him and to grant him his request.  This may be key for us.

–I believe...I know God is more than ready to bless and to help our children and our friends who are out of the safety of God ordained walls.

–What’s our responsibility?  Lord send me that I my rebuild it...rebuild the wall...rebuild the church...rebuild our homes.  Again God is saying...What do you request?

–There is an all out assault on the family, the church, and us as individuals but it is time for us to rise up and build the walls together.  Pastor and churches under attack.

–After expecting the walls and the gates Nehemiah met with the city officials:

Nehemiah 2:1718 (NKJV) 

17 Then I said to them, "You see the distress that we are in, how Jerusalem lies waste, and its gates are burned with fire. Come and let us build the wall of Jerusalem, that we may no longer be a reproach." 

18 And I told them of the hand of my God which had been good upon me, and also of the king's words that he had spoken to me. So they said, "Let us rise up and build." Then they set their hands to this good work.   

–Come on, Life Church, let’s allow the hand of our God to be upon us and let’s allow the Word of the King to motivate us...What do you request?  "Let us rise up and build." 

3. Once you decide to rebuild the walls you can expect opposition from the enemy.

Nehemiah 2:19 (NKJV) 

19 But when Sanballat the Horonite, Tobiah the Ammonite official, and Geshem the Arab heard of it, they laughed at us and despised us, and said, "What is this thing that you are doing? Will you rebel against the king?" 

–There will always be those who fight against the ones who want to follow after God from without and from within.

–You will get opposition when you decide to rebuild the walls and to set boundaries.

–The enemy will mock you...You are going to do what with your family?  It’s too late to set boundaries, they are already lost.  Who do you think you are asking God for help?

–Life Church is growing to how many people...In Fruitland Park...what a joke!

Nehemiah 4:13 (NKJV) 

1 But it so happened, when Sanballat heard that we were rebuilding the wall, that he was furious and very indignant, and mocked the Jews. 

2 And he spoke before his brethren and the army of Samaria, and said, "What are these feeble Jews doing? Will they fortify themselves? Will they offer sacrifices? Will they complete it in a day? Will they revive the stones from the heaps of rubbishstones that are burned?" 

3 Now Tobiah the Ammonite was beside him, and he said, "Whatever they build, if even a fox goes up on it, he will break down their stone wall." 

–When you tell people they can’t when God has told them they can...you sound just like Satan...be careful not to speak against what God is up to.

–It is so easy to get discouraged when we hear those who oppose God’s plan and will but somehow, someway in the middle of the chaos we have to hear what God is saying:

Nehemiah 2:20 (NKJV) 

20 So I answered them, and said to them, "The God of heaven Himself will prosper us; therefore we His servants will arise and build, but you have no heritage or right or memorial in Jerusalem." 

–Listen to Sanballat’s questions and our responses to him:

Will they fortify themselves?  Yes, we are rebuilding the walls and setting up the boundaries, of course, with God’s help.

Will they offer sacrifices?  Yes, we will give offerings and sacrifices of praise to our God!

Will they complete it in a day?  Tough question.  We know we cannot rebuild the walls in just a day but in just a day we can decide to rebuild the walls...Today is that day!

Will they revive the stones?  Yes, thru the power of God revival will come!

4. To rebuild the walls there must be a willingness to do your part and to work along side with others.

Nehemiah 3:13 (NKJV) 

1 Then Eliashib the high priest rose up with his brethren the priests and built the Sheep Gate; they consecrated it and hung its doors. They built as far as the Tower of the Hundred, and consecrated it, then as far as the Tower of Hananel. 

2 Next to Eliashib the men of Jericho built. And next to them Zaccur the son of Imri built. 

3 Also the sons of Hassenaah built the Fish Gate; they laid its beams and hung its doors with its bolts and bars. 

–So how do we rebuild the walls, Pastor, and how do we reset the boundaries?  We hear God say...What do you request?  We do it side by side and we do it by families.

Nehemiah 4:1315 (NKJV) 

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. 

–They stood according to their families...if you do not have family here with you we will adopt you!!  Join with a family close to you!!

–Take up you sword which is the Word of God...obedience is imperative.

–Listen to Nehemiah’s words:   "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." 

–What happened: God brought the enemy’s plot to nothing and gave the victory.