I'll give you a minute to find it, and then we'll start reading from it in just a couple minutes. Nehemiah two eighteen, then I told them of the hand of my God which was good upon me as also the king's words that he had spoken unto me and they said, let us rise up and build. So, they strengthen their hands. For this good work. Let's go to Lord in prayer once more.

Lord, thank you for this day and thank you Lord for your word. Pray that you would use it to change us. To change us in our desires. Lord, to give us your desires. Lord, to to give us a new vision, to see beyond today and the things of this Earth, to the treasures that are ours in Christ Jesus and to the souls that surround us every day who need him.

Lord, give us a burden and a zeal. And an excitement, Lord. As we look to this New Year, in service to our God, in the opportunity to spread his word, and that our testimony at this place would grow and be magnified and that you would be glorified in it. In Jesus name, we do pray. Amen.

Before we go back to Nehemiah, I want to read a couple verses here. Proverbs 2,918, where there is no vision, the people perish but he that keepeth the law, happy is he. Also, you read in Lamentations after the destruction of Jerusalem because of their sin. Jeremiah writes her gates, the gates of Jerusalem are sunk into the ground. He hath destroyed and broken her bars.

Her king and her princes are among the Gentiles. The law is no more. Her prophets also find no vision from the Lord. Now, both of those verses are read and particularly the Proverbs nine twenty nine eighteen where there is no vision, the people perish and they're read and people kind of read in, well, you know, a vision as in a plan, a goal going forward and the word vision can mean that and both of these passages, the word vision means prophetic vision and because the people were no longer listening or no longer interested in the Lord, no longer had a zeal for the Lord, the prophetic vision, the prophecies, the prophets that God had been sending to Israel were quiet and there was no prophetic vision in Israel going forward. They were not keeping the law and so God did not give them further revelation.

However, today, we have the law and we have the vision. Not just my vision or your vision but we have whose vision? Our vision. We have God's vision right here in the word of God. We have his revelation.

His revelation is for then and his revelation is for now. We have God's will. The plan and purpose of God for his people, for his church, for you is found in the revelation of God's word and I want us today to get excited about the revelation, the vision that God has laid out for us. The vision that God has laid out, not that I or pastor, your leader, or somebody else who's written another book laid out for us but the vision that God has laid out for us. What is his vision?

We have it in his word. We should be excited about it every day of the year. I thought about singing Gaither song this morning. Get all excited. Go tell everybody that Jesus Christ is Jesus is the king.

I decided to go with little as much instead but but we need to get excited. Sometimes in baptist churches, we just don't seem all that excited if haven't noticed and you know, I'm I'm I'm glad that when I preach that that you know, it isn't too rowdy so people can hear what I've got to say but it would be nice to see and hear an amen every now and then to see people and nodding their heads and not like a bump on a log and I know you're not all that way and when I'm I'm going a rabbit trail here but when I was when I was starting the ministry and I I'd go home and I'd preach and my dad was in the audience. My dad, when he thinks, he looks like this. You know, and so every time I'm sitting there preaching, my dad's, you know, it's like, so I quit looking at him because it just doesn't do any good to look at him. Yeah.

It looks like he's scowling at me but but anyway, we need to get excited and and and not just an excitement that's you know, put on. We don't want that but we want a real excitement and excitement that extends out from the surface into our life, into our daily life, and out into our community where others see Jesus Christ in us, where we take the tracks off the back table. So, I have to get some more and pass them out where we tell others about the Lord, where we invite him to church, where we want him to come in and be a part of this excitement and this joy and this this blessing that it is to be part of God's family and to worship the Lord here. If 2021 is going to be better than 2020, then we need to grasp a hold of and get excited about this vision. If 2021 is going to be better for our church in growth, in faith, in testimony, in spirit, in saved souls, and added to the church.

It is not going to happen just because we flip the calendar over to the next year. That doesn't change anything we need to change We need God to change us. We need God to bring revival to our church and to our community. It's going to take faith, hope, work, commitment. We must get excited about God's vision for us.

Personally, and as a church. You know, some people make those New Year's what? Resolutions. Well, the sad thing is some people never make them except at New Year's and hardly anybody ever what? Keeps them.

But it may be and I pray that God will give you a resolve today and this year to be different, to be more like Christ, to to have a greater zeal and burden for the lost. To look for opportunities to be used of God. Even if it's just writing birthday cards and praying for the people as you write out the birthday card for them. God can use every each and everyone of us to be a part of bringing revival to our church. It does not come with revival meetings.

It does not come with an evangelist. It comes when the people of God open their hearts to the vision of God. Pray and seek his face and are willing to do the work because it does take work. It doesn't come without effort and God will give us the strength if we're willing to work. We must get excited about God's vision.

We must believe that it can happen regardless of whatever happens this year. Whether COVID gets better or worse, whether the government and politics gets better or worse, whether our health gets better or worse, whether whatever the circumstance that may come in circumstances are going to come and they're not all going to be pleasant in 2021. But greater is he that's in us than he that's in the world and we are overcomers. So, don't be overcome. Let us cast aside the weights and sins with dutch so easily beset us and let us run with patience the race that is set before us looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith.

We must have a sense of urgency and dedication. If we do not, it will not and nothing will change. My God's grace, we must not allow this opportunity to pass us by. Each day is a new opportunity. The mercies of God are new what?

Every morning. We must not give up on the growth of this ministry. This community needs this ministry. We must not be satisfied with the status quo. We must be resolved to higher ground.

Let's look at an example from scripture. I have to go kind of quickly. There's so much here today. But let's let's begin. Nehemiah chapter one.

Nehemiah chapter one. First off, this morning, I want us to see the condition of Jerusalem. The glorious capital city of Israel. What kind of condition was it in? Well, Nebuchadnezzar has brought his armies few decades before into Jerusalem.

He busted through the walls. He burned the city He took the temple and leveled it. He killed and slaughtered many of its citizens. He took many others captive. Jerusalem was in shambles.

Still decades later, the temple was gone, the walls broken down, the people discouraged. Nehemiah was one of the captives or the son of a captive that was taken from Jerusalem. He's now serving as the king's cup bearer in Shushan or Susa, the capital city of Persia and that's where we pick up in Nehemiah one one. The words of Nehemiah, the son of Hachaliah, had came to pass in the month Chisleu in the twentieth year as I was in Shushan, the palace, that Hananiah, 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 and they said to me, the remnant that are left of the captivity there in province are in great affliction and reproach. The wall of Jerusalem also was broken down and the gates thereof are burned with fire.

Look if you would in chapter two and verse 11. So, I came to Jerusalem and was there three days and I arose in the night and I and some men with me neither told I any man what my God had put in my heart to do at Jerusalem. Neither was there any beast with me, save the beast that I rode upon and I went out by night by the gate of the valley even before the dragon well and to the Dung Gate, Dung Port, and viewed the walls of Jerusalem which were broken down and the gates thereof were consumed with fire. Then, I went to the gate of the fountain and the king's pool but there was no place for the beast that was under me to pass then when I up in the night by the brook and viewed the wall and turned back and entered the gate of the valley and so returned. The rulers knew not whether I went nor what I did neither had I as yet told it to the Jews nor to the priest nor to the nobles nor the rulers nor to the rest that did the work.

Then said I unto them, you see the distress that we are in, how Jerusalem lieth in waste, the gates thereof are burned with fire. Come and let us build up the wall of Jerusalem that we be no more reproach. Then I told them of the hand of my God which was good upon me. It's also the king's word that he had spoken unto me and they said, let us rise up and build. So, they strengthened their hands for this good work but when Sanballat, the Horonite, and Tobiah, the servant, the Ammonite, and Geshem, the Arabian heard it, they laughed us to scorn and despised us and said, what is this thing that you do?

Will you rebel against the king? Then answered I them and said unto them, the God of heaven will prosper us. Therefore, we as servants will arise and build but you have no portion nor right nor memorial in Jerusalem. What was the condition of Jerusalem? It's destroyed, devastated, in ruins, and and who had fixed it?

It had been that way for decades and it was still that way. Nothing had been done. The people that lived there, they were discouraged and probably hopeless that anything would ever be done. City walls were broken down, the gates were burnt, the enemies, the enemies among them, Sanballat, Tobiah, Geshem who are mentioned here. They fought Nehemiah tooth and nail through this entire project.

You see, you had the Jews that were living there that wanted to rebuild their city and there were other people that have been brought in to live there who didn't want to see the Jews rebuild their city. And so, Jerusalem was not in good shape. The situation was a desperate one and Nehemiah and the people had every reason to be depressed, despondent, and not full of hope and it would seem for several decades that had been their condition. But that was about to change. Throughout Israel's history, they found their back against the wall.

Time and time again, yet whenever they put their faith in God, God what? God delivered. God blessed. God gave them victory. David and Goliath.

Gideon versus the Midianites. 300 versus army of hundreds of thousands. Deborah and Barak the in the Syrians, Jehoshaphat, who had kingdoms lined up to come in and destroy Judah. Hezekiah and the Assyrians that were camped out outside of the wall. In each one of these cases, they prayed to the Lord.

In each one of these cases, they glorified the Lord. In each one of these cases, the battle belonged to who? The Lord. And the Lord defeated these armies. The Lord gave them the victory.

Sometimes in our personal life, it may seem our back is against the wall. God says, don't give up. I will always make a way of what? Escape. There is always a way of escape.

There's always a way of escape from temptation and sin. There is always a way of escape and deliverance from the trials of life. God delivers us in different ways but there is always deliverance in Jesus Christ. The condition of Jerusalem wasn't great but God had delivered them before and he will do it once again. A difficult and even desperate situation is just an opportunity for God to demonstrate his power When his people are willing to what?

To trust and obey. Yeah. Jeremiah thirty three three, call unto me and I will show thee great and mighty things which thou knowest not. When did Jeremiah write those words? Jeremiah thirty three three, call unto me and I will show thee great and mighty things which thou knowest not.

Jeremiah wrote them as Jerusalem was being destroyed as the walls were being knocked down, as the gates were being burned, as the people were being slaughtered, Jeremiah wrote, the words of God. Call unto me and I will show thee great and mighty things which thou knowest not. It wasn't over. Wasn't over. God said, I will still come if you want.

If you call. I'll still come. First Samuel 17 is one of my favorite passages of scripture. It's it's David and Goliath there. David had to say this to the face of Goliath this day, will the Lord deliver thee into mine hand and I will smite thee.

That all the earth may know that there is a god in Israel and all this assembly shall know that the Lord save it not with sword and spear for the battle is the Lord's and he will give you into our hands. Time and time again, God had done it for Israel. Could he do it again? Yes, he could. Did the condition, the circumstances, were they good?

Did they look great? Were they hopeful? No. No, they were desperate. You know, this this been a hard year.

More hard for some than others. It's been a little bit difficult a year for ministry when you have to shut down the church for six weeks and try to find a way to do it online and you can't really fellowship and visit like you like you want to and Some people just doctors tell em because of their health condition just to stay in and but you know that the Lord brought us through this year, didn't he? Yeah, he did. He he took care of us through this year and and some of you, I've heard testimonies about how the Lord used this situation to to get your attention, to help you to grow. It's not it's not been all bad but but it has been a rough year.

There was once a time just a few years ago when we had half a dozen young families in the church and I'm I'm glad for a couple we have now but I'd like to see more, would you? Yeah. We had a nursery full of kids and children's church and the Lord saw fit to take those families and transplant most of em in states and I I have young couples I ministered into, administered to, and and still have a chance to minister every now and then that live in about eight different states. And Things have been better. Yeah, in that way.

The community seems a little bit difficult to reach especially when you can't go door to door because of COVID. I know some of you have had some personal trials. Several of you, exactly. We've been praying for you. It's good to see many of you here today.

The politics of our nation have not been encouraging. You know, riots in the streets, elections that nobody knows who won and who didn't. Temptation, sin, the world, and the devil are constant and formidable combatants. But don't get discouraged, don't give up, don't get despondent. It's when our back against the wall that we remember that God is on our side.

That God is there. That there is somebody greater in us than in this world. That God is greater than Satan. That God is stronger than COVID. That God can overcome and prevail.

God is still on the throne. God still answers prayer. God is interested in this church and he's interested in your life. He is still able to move mountains and certainly able to change hearts. We can see revival and growth and success enjoy this coming year but not just because the calendar flipped.

But because we look to the Lord and not to the world Philippians three thirteen, Paul says, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forth unto those things which are before. Yes, it's been a difficult year. For some of you, a very difficult year But let 2020 go. Let yesterday go. Grab a hold of tomorrow.

Grab a hold of the Lord with faith. Get excited about what God can do today and next week and next month and next year. God, I think is just waiting for us to put our faith in him, to get resolved to his service, to give him first place in our life, to get on our knees, and pray and seek his face. And good things will happen. We see the condition of Israel, Jerusalem.

Number two, we see the assets. The assets. What assets did they have? They, again, those assets weren't being used. But now, they had some assets that were important.

Well, first of all, they had Nehemiah. They had Nehemiah. Nehemiah had come with the word of God and the vision of God and the zeal of God to rebuild. Nehemiah in verse seven and eight also had these assets. Moreover, I said unto the king, remember he was the king's cup bearer, food taster.

Moreover, I said unto the king, if it pleased the king, let letters be given to me to the governors beyond the river that they may convey me over till I come to 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 palace which appertained to the house, 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. Nehemiah didn't just come with Nehemiah. Nehemiah came with letters from the king authorizing their rebuilding of Jerusalem. Not only did he come with letters, the authorizing the rebuilding of Jerusalem, he came with provisions for rebuilding the walls and the gates and the houses and the homes of Jerusalem. They had assets.

They had assets. Verse verses 17 through 20. Then said I unto the king, then dunghit I unto them, you see the distress that we are in, how Jerusalem lieth waste. We already read that. You look in verse 18, then I told the hand, told them of the hand of my God which was good upon me as also the king's word that he had spoken to me and they said, let us rise up and build.

So, they strengthen their hands for this good work. What other asset did he have? We had the people. The people that came with him. More importantly, the people that were there who were despondent and discouraged but now they had become encouraged by the vision of Nehemiah and the word of God and his provision.

The Israelites had assets. They had the people who said, let us rise and build and they strengthen their hands. The people were few in number. The people were weak in many respects. But little as much when God is in it.

Their opponents were mightier than they. Their opponents were trying to stop them. The devil was trying to discourage them. But little as much when God is in it. And the people rose up to build there were assets, there were supplies that came with Nehemiah from the king Now, the king of Persia is not the best symbol or type of the king in heaven.

But he does get his authority from the king in heaven and in this case, as Nehemiah went to the king in Persia and said, can I get help? The king granted it and gave him what was needed materially to do it. We have a king in heaven. He owns the cattle on a thousand hills And you know something he says, if we'll ask, he'll do what? He'll we'll receive it.

The Lord is our king and he's greater than any earthly king and the greatest asset that Nehemiah had and the greatest asset that we have is the Lord Jesus Christ. Then, I told them of the hand of my God which was good upon me. The God of heaven, verse 20, will, he will prosper us. Therefore, we, his servants, will arise and build. God was behind them and they knew it.

Let me ask you a question. Does God want our church to grow? Does he want the testimony of this church to grow? Does he want our love for one another to grow? Does he want our faith to grow?

I do believe he does. I can pray with full assurance that I'm praying according to God's will. When I pray and ask God to save souls in this community and use us to do it. Can I not pray that with confidence? I can do that.

Can I not? When I pray and ask God to change the lives of people, to to encourage those who are discouraged, to bring more people into our church, to help with the work. I can be assured. I'm I'm praying. My my desires are in line with whose desires.

God's desires. When I pray that I ask God to give us greater faith and love for him and love for one another, I know that I'm praying in the will of God. And God is on my side. Missouri Avenue Baptist Church has assets. We just need to make use of them.

What assets do we have? Well, we have people. There you are. Here you are. God's people, faithful.

We're small. But for the most part, you're faithful. Soft hearted, I have never been in a church with softer hearted Christians. Not personally. Giving You know, this this small little group gives more than churches two and three times its size.

You are a giving group of people. Some are older, some are younger, some like Pedro here in between. But everyone of you count and you matter and you're important Gideon's army was only 300 Insignificant in the world's eyes but you and this church are not insignificant in whose eyes? God's eyes. Nor the ministry that you are able, that we are able to carry out.

If we'll trust the Lord, if we'll give him the glory, if we will believe in him that he is able. God uses the weak things to confound the mighty. And God can use us to build on this ministry, to build in the lives of people, to build in our testimony, to build in our faith and love for the Lord this year. We have a community. We have plenty the the the harvest is white and the harvest is deep and it's thick and there's a lot of it and it's all around us.

We just have to find a way to get those that harvest in this door. And it's not going to come with a program. It's not going to come just with knocking on doors in the neighborhood. The best advertisement for any business is word-of-mouth and the same is true of the what? The same is true of the church.

There are a lot of people out there. We can grow with. We have the facilities, you know. You say our facilities are a little bit older. Yeah, they are.

But you know, they function just fine and they're paid for. And there's plenty of room in here for more people. We just need what? We just need people. There's plenty of room back there for classes.

We just need what? People. People in class. People to teach. We just need people.

The facilities are already here. And the Lord, the Lord hasn't changed. He has said the gates of hell shall not what? Prevail against it. What was it?

It is the church and there's no reason the gates of hell have to prevail against this church. As long as the Lord is here. Philippians four thirteen says, I can do what? All things through Christ which strengtheneth me. Except the Lord build the house, they labor in vain that build it.

But if the Lord is involved, then he will give the increase We have the assets at our disposal. The Lord is with us. He is on our side and in 2021, rather than looking back at the past, rather than getting discouraged at the state of affairs that are not maybe quite as great as we would like them to be, whether it be in our personal life, the church, or the world around us. We need to have the vision of a man named Nehemiah and we need to have the vision of Jesus Christ our Lord and we need to take our eyes off of our the things that bring us down and we need to look up to the God of heaven and to what God has done and what God will do and can do in your life, in this church, but it's going to take all of us. It's going to take teamwork and I plead and ask you this morning as your pastor, will you partner with me?

And getting on your knees and asking the Lord, what will you have me to do? Here at Missouri Avenue Baptist Church. I ask you today to partner with me to look for opportunities to minister. We have visitors cards we get frequently. Not as frequently with COVID, yes, but we still have visitors cards.

They would love to hear from somebody other than just the what? The pastor. Those tracks and Bibles are back there. You have neighbors. You have friends and relatives.

I know the Betty and Jim and your Faye. Faye. I don't care. Their their their pew is a little bit barren at the moment but but they've been building this pew and some of em are sick or away at the moment but they went from two to three to five to six to and when I think it's Linda. When Linda hopefully and her husband get back, that they'll pretty much have the pew filled.

Now, if they can do it, you can do it. If they can do it, you can do it. So, let's find a way to do it. Let's look to the Lord and believe. Let's repent of our sin where it is necessary.

Let's let God change us and make us and use us as he used Nehemiah. I haven't finished with my sermon. So, the other half is going to be for next week. So, if you want to hear the plan, you gotta come back next Sunday morning and I hope you will but if you're here today, I hope you'll take this home. God isn't done with us yet and God has something good on the horizon.

If we will put him first place, if we will trust and believe in him, if we'll get on our knees, if we'll humble ourselves, God will do what? He will exalt us. I believe that. I am not satisfied with the status quo. I want higher ground.

Let's let's look to that this year. Lord, thank you for this day and thank you Lord for what you've done and how you've sustained us. Lord, while some other churches are still closed, while many other churches are not having Sunday night and Wednesday night, we're able to. We're doing it. We're paying the bills.

We're we're ministering Lord. We have a children's ministry on Wednesday night. We have a teen ministry. Lord, you're doing something in our church despite the difficulties. For you are greater and we are overcomers but Lord, there is so much more to be done.

Help us, Lord, to be excited about the work. Help us, Lord, to be resolved and committed to the work. Lord, help us each one to ask you, Lord, what will you have me to do this year? And Lord, may you grow this church and grow this place not just in number but in testimony, in love, in strength, in faith that you would be magnified in 2021. In a far greater way than in 2020.

Lord, thank you. Lord, do a mighty work we pray. If there be one here today that's never trusted you, Lord, we plead and we beg. We're here to give them the gospel. Lord, we pray they'll come and be saved today and we pray Lord for those that are here.

Lord, that we would be willing to be used of you and that Lord we'd be able to tell you that even as we sing this hymn of invitation today. In Jesus name, amen. 300