0056S Nehemiah 5: Fear God, Free Your Brother

CWM Intro with Drums

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CWM Outro with drums

Chapters

• 0:00 Family Project And Hard Lessons
• 4:57 Mission And Announcements
• 8:17 The Seven Battlefields Framework
• 11:12 Setting The Stage For Nehemiah
• 14:57 Rapid Review Of Chapters 1–4
• 19:57 Internal Crisis: Nehemiah 5 Begins
• 24:55 Holy Anger And Public Accountability
• 28:55 Fear Of God And Measurable Restitution
• 32:55 Oaths, Priests, And Social Safeguards
• 35:55 Leadership Restraint And No Profiteering
• 38:55 Hospitality As Governance
• 42:55 Closing Exhortations And Prayer

Transcript

SPEAKER_01: 0:28

Alright, good evening, everyone. Happy Lord's Day to you.

SPEAKER_00: 0:33

Um let me get a sound check and we will roll. Happy Lord's Day to you.

SPEAKER_01: 0:44

Alright, you guys can hear me. Happy Lord's Day to you. I hope you guys had a great Sunday and that um and you had a great week. I know we sure did. Lauren, my amazing, incredible, awesome wife, couldn't ask for a better one, but she did a massive uh underestimation on a family project. Um she wanted to do a walkway out front, and she watched all these uh you know social media videos of people doing things really fast on the internet, and it's like and all you hear is these sounds of and it just flies up so cool. Well, none of those videos showed the digging, so we ended up having to dig it all up by hand with a pickaxe and a shovel, and we went down about eight inches um for a pretty good sized walkway. And um my back is completely garbage from like from the ground till about mid-shin. I am I'm useless. That's just where my back injury is. And if I spend a lot of time down there, well then I'm toast. Um, I'll have a back attack within a you know, that day or within days, and I'll be out. So Lauren had to handle everything from on the ground. It was my job to move and pour and do all the rest of the stuff. Um, and with a lot of huddling and uh and a lot of um learning and relearning, a lot of patience, and a lot of uh sanctification, we built a pretty darn cool walkway. Um, you know, we did 16-inch pavers for most of it uh with you know some uh pea gravel surrounding it and uh and then some like retaining wall stones or fireplace, fire pit stones on the outside lining it. And then towards the end, you know, was it imperfect? When Lauren figured it out, she measured it, but she didn't center it, center the walkway coming in on the door. So one of the improvements I recommended was that we center the turn, you know, the walkway walks in front, you know, parallel to our house and then turns perpendicular and walks into our house. That should be centered on the door. So we had like a weird leftover space at the end. So I had to go back to Home Depot for like the fifth time. And because whatever program we were using severely underestimated all the sand. I think we had about 100 bags of sand in the end, but um well, pretty darn close to it. But uh I went and I got these uh seven and three-quarter inch pavers um that were the same color as you know, as the concrete 16-inch stones, and it worked out great. It looks fantastic. My wife did an amazing job. I love working with her. You know, she's never one of those people you have to drag through things. In fact, I won't work with my wife when I got to drag her through stuff, uh, which is rare, very rare. But if I feel like her heels are digging in, done. Right? My wife, otherwise, is just a machine. And um and I love working with her. It's how our security company became so formidable because we would work 90 hours a week. Like we would just sleep and like work, work, work, work out, sleep, and then would be work, work, work, work, work, work, work. You know, that was that was it. And we were able to outcompete like multi-million dollar, billion-dollar firms, because they would go to they would stop on the weekend and we would get another 40 hours a week. You know, another 40 hours done that weekend, or pretty darn close to it. Well, definitely 40 if you consider Saturday night. So, I mean Friday night. So, yeah, um, so it was great to work with Lauren. Um, you know, as long as we're not trying to figure out who's saying and doing what, like debating on who's in charge, or once we both we know whose plan we're going on on the given project, it's smooth sailing after that. And she is such a joy to work with. Um, she doesn't get down, she's the most patient person I've ever seen. And to do this with a two-year-old toddler who is um determined to blow up our project at every step of the way, and two girls that really want to be included in everything and slow it down so much. You know, here we are shoveling sand, and then, you know, my three and a half year old or three and three-quarters, whatever, she's gonna be four in December, has this little shovel. Well, that's like this big that with this much sand in it, and she's like, turn, that means it's her turn. So we all have to stop shoveling for her to come up and put a little shovel in. And the team guy in me was losing his mind. But my wife, she just impresses me so much. So um, Shield Maine, she is in more ways than one. So, again, happy Lord's Day to you. I know that was a pretty uh elongated hello, but welcome to Christian Warrior Mission, a home church, community, ministry, and farm forging Christian Warriors for today's challenge. Christian Warrior Missions forges men, women, and families into battle-ready disciples of King Jesus, locking shields and advancing on every front, so Christ is honored. His people are protected, and his kingdom surges into every sphere of life. Advance on every front, every day. No excuses, no retreats. Some announcements. We have Reformation Day coming up. That is Friday, October 31st. We are going to celebrate the Lord of light. And we are going to reclaim that day from darkness as Reformation Day, the day that Martin Luther nailed his challenge to the Catholic Church on the on the church door. So that's what we're going to do. And there'll be wholesome costumes. You know, we'll be singing, cider cocoa, beverages, um, food, um, bonfire, games, goodies for the kids, everything. So here comes my wife. She's not she's gonna see if she can not make it on camera. She's in her uh fashion assassin right now. So, all right, so we got that. We also are going to schedule a crossfield day if you want to come down and help us reclaim the crosshill mountain, whatever you want to call it, pavilion from the jungle that is overtaking it. And then big days on the calendar from the farm side is we are processing Karen in two weeks, next week, in a week and a half, and pork chop shortly thereafter. Once we figure out our freezer space situation, we might have to get another freezer.

unknown: 8:52

Definitely.

SPEAKER_01: 8:54

So we definitely have to get another freezer. So we'll be doing that. Um, so all good stuff. All right, so in addition, um, as you guys know here, we fall, we deliberately pursue the following seven battlefields. We fight these every day. All right, and this is a part of the Christian journey. I just characterized it this way because this is the only way where I don't just spin around in circles sucking at everything. Faith, we fight for relationships, we deliberately pursue a relationship with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Family, we deliberately pursue relationships with our family, like deep, meaningful, Christ-centered relationships. Fitness, we fight ourselves to be the best vessel for the Holy Spirit we can be, and to be functional and um and just be good stewards of this body that God gave us. Fundamentals, we try to become the best asset we can be, trying to sharpen the skills we have and learn new ones. Always trying to become a better asset to yourself, your family, and your community. Finances, we fight to rule our war chests, to be free of the slavery of debt and materialism or greed. Fellowship, we fight for godly relations. Fight to have people who are dragging to have the people in our life be people that are that are lifting us up to heaven and not dragging us down to hell. And then fidelity. We fight ourselves for to be faithful to Christ and our spouses and all that we do. For our word is our word, and we mean it. And our eyeballs are gods, our ears are gods, hearts are gods, and of course, those of us who are married, our eyes are only for our spouse, our hearts are only for our spouse. So let's go to prayer and start this. King Jesus, Captain and Kingsman Redeemer, you have gathered this company under your banner, consecrated our hands and hearts, drive out the leaven greed, bitterness, and partiality, teach us to fear God that frees the oppressed and binds the strong men. Make us quick to repent, courageous to confront, eager to restore, establish the work for our hands, the guarding of your people, and the glory of your name. Amen. Now, if you're looking for an example of how to pray, you need to look no further than the Lord's Prayer in Matthew 6, 9 through 13, when the disciples asked Jesus how they should pray, and gave the following example. Pray then in this way: our Father who is in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. For yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen. All right, we are in Nehemiah 5 this week. And um we've taught Nehemiah 1, 2, 3, and 4, and now Nehemiah 5. To refresh you on the setting, this is it. It is the Persian Empire under Artax Xerces the first, 465 to 424 BC. Capitals and distances are the places that we covered in the first one. Nehemiah begins in Susa, the winter capital, and the trek to Jerusalem is 900 miles, a three to four month caravan through hostile terrain. So that's what he had to travel to get there. All right, it's not like today you hop in a car and you can drive 2,000 miles in like no time, or hop in a plane and cover it in a couple of few hours. No, this was slow moving. The province is Yehud, Judah, is a small taxed Persian province with a ruined capital, sparse population, and mixed hostilities on every side. The bad guys in this, the adversaries in this, are Sembalat, the Huronite, likely the governor of Samaria. Dobiah, the Emmonite official, with deep ties in the Judah's elite. Geshem the Arab, who controls the southern trade routes. A rapid review of Nehemiah 1 through 4. Nehemiah 1, what happened? News of Jerusalem ruins, a ruin breaks Nehemiah. He fasts and prays a covenant prayer. The takeaways from it are we fear God, confess specifically, own the problem, start with prayer before plans. Nehemiah 2, what happened? God grants favor for Nehemiah with our taxerces. Nehemiah secures letters, meaning permissions and authority, as well as supplies. And then he goes and he surveys by night and rallies the people to build despite being mocked. The takeaways for us are ask bully, gather intel. Gather intel quietly. Answer taunts with theology and jurisdiction, like he did. Nehemiah 3, what happened? Families rebuild by name sections to a common standard. Doors, bolts, bars, we heard that repeated over and over again. There was a standard. Zeal and negligence were both recorded. If you sucked, the Bible said it. And if you were good and you exceeded and you were zealous, you were recorded. Build your section, quality matters, scriptures, names both heroes and slackers. Nehemiah 4, one of my favorite chapters in the whole Bible. What happens? Enemies escalate from mockery to coordinated plots. Nehemiah answers with prayer and planning, posts guards by families, splits the workforce, builders along with spear bearers, issues a triumph, a trumpet rally SOP, and establishes the readiness posture, uniform on, weapons at hand, right? Always armed, always ready to go. From dawn until the stars appear, work never stops. Vigilance never drops. All right. One of the key lines is do not be afraid of them. Remember the Lord. This is Nehemiah 4.14, who is great and awesome. And fight for your brothers, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your houses. And the other words there are further on down is 420, Nehemiah 4.20. For our God will fight for us. All right. That's when you heard the trumpet, you would rally to the spot, and your God would fight for us, is what Nehemiah said, which is really great because too many today rely on God to fight for them all the time and they do no part. Here, Nehemiah had them, had them trained, had them armed, had them being vigilant, disciplined, everything. And they didn't rely on God for any but to bless and for nothing but to bless their work. So when they would rally to fight, risking their lives, doing the right thing, carrying the armor, ready to go spill blood, ready to die, God would fight for them then, not instead of them doing that. All right. Um and then we see in 423, none of us took off our clothes. Each took his weapon even to water. Okay, so no matter what they were doing, whether they were watering or bathing or anything, they had their weapon on them all the time. I'll tell you when I used to bodyguard a billion, you know, billionaires. Um when I shower, I have my gun with me in the shower because there's billions of reasons to get me. So again, just think about that. How vulnerable you are when you're showering. So foundational pillars for Christian warriors from Nehemiah for battle actions, worship to work to warfare. Okay, prayer fuels progress, progress answers scorn. Family first defense, crews arrayed by household, fathers guard what they build, kids stand shoulder to shoulder. Nehemiah was genius. He put men in strife and to in and warriors to guard and fight for and work for what they cared about most, their families. So instead of going to fight a far-off war, they were fighting what they cared for right then and there. Everything they cared for. Sword and trial doctrine, build with one hand, keep a weapon in another. So mission and security are never separated. Trumpet protocol, a clear signal, a known rally point and confidence, how God will fight for us. Readiness, Patra, habitual preparedness, gear on, weapon near, water watch. Readiness is liturgy. Readiness is liturgy. Leadership from the front. Nehemiah is one of the greatest examples, other than Jesus, in the whole Bible of what a leader should be. Never in my life have I worked for such a man. As we're going to see today in Nehemiah 5, as he tackles internal struggles, not external struggles, but internal struggles. Every leadership you ever booked, you ever bought was wasted. All you need is the Bible in Nehemiah 5. Well, four and five. It is absolutely a master class in how to do everything as a leader. So they're all ripping it off and they're all trying to put their own brand on it. But Nehemiah, who's one of the best ever to live. Because Nehemiah works, watches arms, and speaks courage. He sets the tempo. So stubborn silver steadfastness, post the guard, keep the watch, continue the work until the stars appear. Calm under pressure, faithful and routine. Now we go to chapter five where external pressure could not stop the work. Now the enemy attempts to sabotage within through famine, economics, predatory lending, and leadership compromise.

unknown: 19:45

Okay.

SPEAKER_01: 19:45

Actually, I'm pretty good. I think I got about 25% in this, so I judged it. Thank you. So Nehemiah 5. Nehemiah stops the oppression of the poor. So we're going to read first, we're going to start with verses 1 through 5. So Nehemiah 5, 1 through 5. Now there arose a so Nehemiah stops the oppression of the poor. Now there arose a great outcry of the people and of their wives against their Jewish brothers. For there were those who said, With our sons and our daughters, we are many. So let us get grain that we may eat and keep alive. There also were those who said, We are mortgaging our fields, our vineyards, and our houses to get grain because of the famine. And there were those who said, We have borrowed money for the king's tax on our fields and our vineyards. Now our flesh is the flesh of our brothers. Our children are as their children. Yet we are forcing our sons and daughters to be slaves. And some of our daughters have already been enslaved. But it is not in our power to help it, for other men have our fields and our vineyards. A great outcry, a legal lament rises against their Jewish brothers. The crisis now is internal. It's not the threat outside. We have four pressures: food shortage, mortgaging field houses because of the famine, borrowing for the king's tax, and debt slavery. We have no power to redeem. And the Torah, which is what they should have been living by, brotherhood forbids predatory lending. You are not allowed to charge interest, according to the Torah. The Bible calls interest evil. Our whole entire banking system that the Bible was against. Yahweh hears the oppressed covenant members. So external enemies failed. So Nehemiah now, picking it up in verse 6 through 8. I was very angry when I heard their outcry and these words. I took counsel with myself, and I brought chant uh charges against the nobles and the officials, and I said to them, You are exacting interest each from his brother. And I held a great assembly against them and said to them, We, as far as we are able, have brought back our Jewish brothers who have been sold to the nations, but you even sell your brothers that they may be sold to us. They were silent and could not find a word to say. Holy anger bridled, I became angry. Self-counsel, I consulted with myself before public action. Okay, this is in verses five and six. Public charges, you are exacting ursary interest from each from each brother. Sin plainly named. Okay, he just said you're committing a crime against God, named it what it was, didn't beat around the bush. They know there's they're in trouble. So the his logic is we redeemed our brothers from Gentiles. Will you sell your brothers back?

SPEAKER_00: 24:54

Result, they were silent and they could not find a word. They were convicted.

SPEAKER_01: 25:01

On a heart note, you can see here, Nehemiah is so wise. Like, I can't wait to meet this guy. I took counsel myself. I consulted my heart, literally. Shows governed emotions. Now listen to this. Anger is only a good servant when yoked to wisdom. Let me say that again. Anger is only a good servant when combined with to wisdom, when it is controlled by wisdom. Nehemiah moves from private deliberation to formal charges to a great assembly. And this is like people were like, Well, might be like, why didn't you take him to a minute? Because this was public sin. Public sin needs to be handled publicly. Public sin harming many requires a public form for correction and protection. The verb brought back echoes Leviticus 25, 47 through 49. Godly households spend capital to free kin, not bind them. Nehemiah frames lending inside a kinsman redeemer logic, not a prophet logic. Power and proximity. The nobles and officials have the means and the leverage to help. They test, the test of power is whether we lift our brothers or leverage him. Do we lift our brothers or leverage him? Strategic threat, internal predation bleeds the workforce and hands propaganda to Sandballot and Tobiah.

SPEAKER_00: 26:53

Moral rot is a security risk.

SPEAKER_01: 26:59

So as the church community, anger that serves the flock names the wound, names the law that it violated, and names the remedy. Imitate the pattern, pause, pray, plan plain speech. Okay. Spirit bridled anger confronts family-level injustice in the open, applying kinsman redeemer mercy so the work can continue. All right, go on to verses five through nine through eleven. So I said, The thing that you are doing is not good. Ought you not to walk in feet in the fear of our God to prevent the taunts of the nations our of the nations our enemies? Moreover, I and my brothers and my servants are lending them money and grain. Let us abandon this exacting of interests. Return to them this very day their fields, their vineyards, their olive orchards, and their houses, and the percentage of money, grain, wine, and oil that you've been taking from them.

SPEAKER_00: 28:11

Give it all back.

SPEAKER_01: 28:20

What he's saying is, ought you not to walk in fear of God? Like you are violating, like Israel just got all their people back, or they're starting to get their people back, and you're victimizing your own people. Walk in fear of our God to avoid the reproach of the nations. Injustice discredits the mission. He commands now return this very day.

SPEAKER_00: 28:46

Fields, vineyards, olive groves, houses. Nehemiah includes himself.

SPEAKER_01: 28:56

Repentance starts at the top.

SPEAKER_00: 29:13

Reproach of the nations.

SPEAKER_01: 29:15

Herpa, I think I'm pronouncing that. It's got this may be her pay. Disgrace, shame. Internal injustice arms the enemy's mockery, as we saw in one through three, and slanders Yahweh's name among the outsiders. I see this in 1 Peter 2 12. Fear of God defined. The same ethic anchors 515. True reverence restrains what power and policy might technically allow. Application principle. If it harms the brotherhood, the fear of God says no. Covenant economics. Nehemiah applies Leviticus 25, relief and redemption for kin. And Deuteronomy 15, remission of principles. This is not coerced leveling. It is a family mercy inside God's own household. The legal mechanics of the restitution of this. The verbs are concrete. Return, restore both property and the recruit percentage, the accrued interest, money, grain, wide, oil. Repentance is measurable. Urgency this very day sets a date stamp on repentance. Leaders should make right immediately, not after the project. Now, some things we have to take into consideration here. Some lending was likely survival-based during famine tax season. The fix is not a denial of need, but non-exploitation and swift release once crisis abates. Nehemiah's restoration is a preview. Freedom for the bound, good news for the poor, debts ultimately canceled at the cross. The fear of God produces urgent, measurable restitution that repairs witness before the nations and restores brother to strength. It repairs, it heals. Nehemiah 12, so picking up verses 12 and 13. Then they said, We will restore. These and require nothing from them. We will do as you say. And I called the priests. So Nehemiah is not trusting them. I called the priests and made them swear to do as they had promised. Right? So he's invoking the church, bringing them in and making the priest make this an oath to God. And here's the here it is. I also shook out the fold of my garment and said, Okay, so this is a curse now he's putting on them. So may God shake out every man from his house and from his labor who does not keep his this promise. So may he be shaken out and emptied. And all the assembly said, Amen. They're all agreeing that they will be cursed if they don't do this and praise the Lord. And the people did as they had promised. They vow before the assembly, before the priest, repentance becomes public. God empty the pockets of any who backslid. Okay, that's the shakeout, the garment shake. People say amen. They praise Yahweh and do the word. Priests as witness. Nehemiah called the priests and made them swear. Priests serve as covenant officers. They bind the promise before God and community. The response includes both restoration and cessation. We will restore and require nothing from them. Repentance stops the practice and repairs the damage. The symbolic meaning of the fold of the garment functions like a pouch. To shake it out is a visible prayer that God empty the promise breaker of results and resources. It parallels covenant curse enactments of Deuteronomy 28, Ruth 4, 7 through 8 for symbolic transactions. The congregation's Amen echoes the covenant Amen pattern of Deuteronomy 27, 15 through 26 and Nehemiah 8.6. Praise follows repentance and then obedience, right? The correct order for renewal. Repentance, obedience. Praise follows repentance and obedience. Community teeth. Public goals created social accountability. Leaders and people may appeal to the vow if backsliding appears. This protects the weak and stabilizes the work. When sins are public and structural, repentance should be public and specific, including a dated plan and named stewards. Godly repentance is public, specific, symbol sealed, and immediately actionable. Hold on with me, we don't have much more. Verses 14 through 16, Nehemiah's generosity. Moreover, from that, from the time that I was appointed to be their governor in the land of Judah, from the 20th year to the 32nd year of our taxerces the king, 12 years, neither I nor my brothers ate the food allowance of the governor. The former governors who were before me laid heavy burdens on the people and took from them their daily ration, 40 shekels of silver. Even their servants lorded it over the people. But I did not do so because of the fear of God. I also persevered in the work on this wall, and we acquired no land, and all my servants were gathered there for the work. Twelve years of restraint. Nehemiah refuses the governor his allowance, refused to take what is entitled to him because it puts a burden on the people. On top of that, he works on the wall and buys no land. He could exploit his position. It's legal for him to do this. But he'd no profiteering in crisis. He refuses to make a profit in crisis. Imagine if we had politicians like that. And why does he do it?

SPEAKER_00: 36:12

Because he fears God. How many of us fear God? Not enough. Not nearly enough.

SPEAKER_01: 36:22

Persian governors received a food allowance and could levy provisions. Prior administrations laid heavy burdens and extracted 40 shekels of silver plus perquisities. Even their servants lorded it over the people. Nehemiah rolls back these custom privileges to ease the people's load. He models self-denial and power, not because policy forbids the benefits, but because the fear of God restrains what is technically permissible. Leadership that fears God asks, Will this burden the flock?

SPEAKER_00: 37:02

Before it asks, Am I entitled to this? See the difference there?

SPEAKER_01: 37:07

Before it asks, is this going to hurt the flock? Before am I entitled to this? No land acquisition. We acquired no land during a time when the distressed sellers are vulnerable, meaning everyone there is poor. And Nehemiah could have sucked up all the land because he had money and instead took their land instead of you know giving them money. He instead took none. This rejects disaster capitalism.

SPEAKER_00: 37:46

And honors kin redeemer mercy. These are his brothers. Do we love people enough like that?

SPEAKER_01: 37:58

Hands in the work. All my servants were gathered there for work. Administrative staff were reallocated to the mission. Visibility matters. The people saw their leaders sweat. Former governors took Nehemiah gives. Nehemiah's servants build. The text spotlights a reversal of culture under God's fearing leadership. To work for men like that. Dear Lord, we all well, we all work for Jesus like that, but I can't even imagine it. So anathema. It's anathema in the military, it's anathema in the corporate world, it's anathema everywhere. Nobody takes care of their people like that. No one that I've encountered. Transparency about benefits, purchasing and work assignments prevents quiet exploitation. Household parallels. Heads of homes. Set a family cap on discretionary comforts while any in your care are burdened. God-fearing leaders deny themselves, refuse profit from crisis, and put their own hands and teams to the work. Last section. Moreover, there were at my table 150 men, Jews and officials, besides those who came to us from the nations that were around us. Now what was prepared at my expense for each day was one ox, six choice sheep, and birds, and every ten days all kinds of wine in abundance. Yet for all this I did not demand the food allowance of the governor, because the service was too heavy on the people. Remember for my good, oh my God, all that I have done for this people. Hospitality is governance, a daily table of 150 plus prisoners at Nehemiah's expense. Remember, listen to his prayer. Remember for my good, oh my God, not wages, but covenant appeal under the fear of God.

SPEAKER_00: 40:22

The ethic is this leaders feed, not fleece.

SPEAKER_01: 40:29

Scale and logistics of this. One ox, six choice sheep, and birds per day is a serious supply chain, herb management, butchering, storage, cooks. Okay. Nehemiah converts administrative budget into human fuel for the mission. As farmers, Lord, I can't even imagine that.

SPEAKER_00: 40:54

Killing a bull every day. Six sheep, plus all the chickens. That's the birds.

SPEAKER_01: 41:06

The cost is absorbed, the board and burden is really is relieved. He still refuses the food allowance because the service was too heavy on his people. The calculus, if the people are loaded, leadership if the people are loaded, leadership lightens.

SPEAKER_00: 41:34

Open table, open doors.

SPEAKER_01: 41:35

The guest list includes officials and those from the nations around. The table becomes diplomacy, intelligence, and discipleship. Hospitality stabilizes a tense perimeter. We do not do enough hospitality, my brothers and sisters. Hospitality is not optional. 1 Timothy 1, 3 and 2, Titus 1.8. They requires it. Nehemiah's table meets elder standards at scale.

SPEAKER_00: 42:08

Theology of remembrance.

SPEAKER_01: 42:10

Remember for good is not merit banking. It is a covenant appeal. Leaders pour out and entrust the reward to God. A governor feeding many at his own expense foreshadows the great greater governor, the greatest governor, who spreads a table at his own cost, Christ. Our tables preach this. Our stewardship principle is turn perks into provisions, transform line items that pad leadership into supplies that strengthen workers and welcome strangers. Large hospitality requires guardrails, budget, menu, team, prayer. The purpose is to fuel for mission, not feasting for status. God-fearing leaders turn personal privilege into public provision and trust God alone to remember their work. In closing, Nehemiah 5 teaches us that the wall is not merely stone and timber. It is covenant life. When the fear of God rules the heart, brothers are not leveraged but lifted. Debts are not tools of power, but occasions for mercy. Leaders do not take their allowance, but take up the work. Today is the day to return this very day. To restore what we have withheld, to release what we have bound, to repair what we have broken, to reopen our tables. Let the world see that our God is great and awesome, not only in how we fight our enemies, but how we love our own. Fear God, free your brothers, finish your section of the wall. Some quotes of some famous people who I think who get this. Martin Luther. John Chrysostom, if you cannot find Christ in the beggar at your church door, you will not find him in the chalice. Charles Spurgeon, where there is the fear of God, there is the bridle for the mouth and the curb for the desires. And then Dietrich Bonhoeffer, the church is the church only when it exists for others, not dominating, but helping and serving. And then Hudson Taylor, God's work done in God's way will never lack God's supply. Let us pray. Captain of our salvation, great and awesome God, teach us your fear that frees the captive and steadies the hand. Where we have taken, move us to return this very day. Where we have leveraged a brother's weakness, make us quick to restore with joy. Purge greed from our camp. Plant generosity in our hearts. Make our homes open tables and our lives open ledgers. Give our leaders courage to deny themselves and strength to feed the flock. Knit our households into a shield wall, faithful, watchful, and ready. Establish the work of our hands, free the brother, fill the table, finish the wall for the honor of King Jesus. Amen. Now may the God of peace who brought up from the dead the great shepherd of the sheep through the blood of the eternal covenant, Jesus our Lord, equip you in every good thing to do his will, working in us that which is pleasing in his sight through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen. God bless you. Sorry we're so late tonight.