Cornerstone Christian Center
Cornerstone Christian Center
Nehemiah | Build
The question that opens this powerful message cuts straight to the heart: "If everything completely goes away, how do you want to be remembered?" For Charlie Kirk, moments before his life was tragically taken, he was answering questions about his faith in Jesus—the legacy he most wanted to leave behind.
This shocking loss, alongside other recent acts of violence against believers worldwide, serves as a sobering backdrop for exploring what it truly means to build something lasting while fighting for what matters. Drawing from Nehemiah's powerful example of rebuilding Jerusalem's walls while facing opposition, we discover a timeless truth: our battle isn't against other people but against spiritual darkness.
"We have never been a political house," the message clarifies, "but what we are is someone who stands for the values that our faith is based on." This distinction reshapes how we approach cultural challenges—not with hatred toward those who disagree, but with spiritual weapons focused on the darkness behind division and destruction.
The workers rebuilding Jerusalem's walls labored "with one hand and held a weapon with the other." Similarly, we're called to build our lives on God's word while fighting spiritual battles through prayer, worship, and unwavering commitment to truth. As Nehemiah encouraged his people, "Do not be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome."
What breaks your heart? Unless something moves you deeply, you'll never take action to change it. When our hearts break for those who don't know Jesus—our neighbors, coworkers, even those we struggle to like—we become motivated to share God's love. Our worship becomes a weapon against darkness, and "the joy of the Lord is your strength" even in life's most challenging seasons.
Ready to build something that lasts? Join a life group this semester and discover how connecting with others can strengthen your faith journey as we build and fight together.
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If everything completely goes away, how do you want to be?
:remembered. If I die, everything just goes away. How would you if you could be associated with one thing? How would you want to be remembered?
Speaker 1:I want to be remembered for courage, for my faith.
:That would be the most important thing?
Speaker 1:The most important thing is my faith in my life.
:Today we're talking about this idea to build and fight. This week was a sucker punch in seeing a person like Charlie Kirk get assassinated as he was having open discourse with people about his beliefs. The very freedom that we fight for in this country, the very thing that we hold so sacred, the blood that's been shed for the freedom we have, for him to be cut short. It's just evil For the shootings that happened at schools in recent days and for the news that's come to us about our brothers and sisters in faith who, across the world and other countries that didn't even make our news how they've lost their life because of their faith in Jesus Christ. You know, it hit me that, of all the things that Charlie was about and he was a political pundit he's someone who was in the political realm and he's doing these things the thing he wanted to be known for was his faith in Jesus, and he's someone that's faithful to the end. Be known for was his faith in Jesus and the someone that's faithful to the end. And I went through a roller coaster of emotion this week and so heartbroken just immediately, followed by a wave of anger scrappling with it. I told our seniors this week as we had a, had a brunch together, man, it just brought back all these feelings of our time in Egypt, when they marched out Christians on the beach and beheaded them for their faith in Jesus. And how they targeted vans of families that were headed to a Christian camp and gunned them down for their faith in Jesus. How they bombed the church in Cairo and the one in Alexandria, right beside us all, because of their faith in Jesus. So angry, so angry as I dove deeper into prayer and into the word. I was just so challenged by the Lord that this thing that we're fighting is not another person, it's not another people, but, friends, it's the spirit behind that evil, it's principalities and powers. It says it in Ephesians. It talks about it like this in chapter six, verse 12, for we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against rulers, against authorities, against cosmic powers over the present darkness, against spiritual forces of evil in heavenly places. Friends, our fight is against the demonic and against the evil in this world. We've never been a political house, but what we are is someone who stands for the values that our faith is based on. We believe from life, from conception, and we fight for the value of a family and a marriage between a man and a woman. We're we fight for the value of a family and a marriage between a man and a woman. We're going to stand for the Christian values in this house because it's upon the Bible and our faith in God.
:Moments before Charlie's life was taken from him, the very questions he was answering was about his faith in Jesus. Questions he was answering was about his faith in Jesus, friends, that we too would be those that have the boldness to say yes whenever God asks us to lift up our voice to those around us. What I love about this is that, in Matthew 25, 21, his master said to him well done, good and faithful servant, for you've been faithful over a little, I will set you over much. Enjoy, enter into the joy of your master. Friends, our fight is not a physical one against some kind of leftist woke mob. Our fight is for the souls of those very people. It's for the souls of the jihadists. It's for the soul of the person who's away from God, because God loves them like he loves you and me. He wants them to know his love, just like you have said yes, they, that they would have the opportunity to say yes as well. Friends, that's what I once said to me Whenever I meet Jesus face to face. It's well done. That's what Charlie got to hear. It's what our brothers and sisters got to hear. It's those innocent children drawn near to Jesus. It's well done. Welcome home. This is your home, this kingdom of heaven.
:Today we have this opportunity. We want to pray for Charlie's wife, erica, for his children, for their family, for Turning Point, for all that they put their hands to do. We want to pray for America and for the hearts of America to be turned back to the creator, which our country was founded upon, and now we would have hearts that turn towards him. That God would give us a unity as the people of America. Join your hearts with me today, lord. We thank you so much, lord, for you are a God who is sovereign. You are a God who meets us, even the depths of despair, as you walk with us, lord.
:We thank you today, lord, for being the comforting peace to Erica and to the children, their family, to the Kirk family. Lord, we thank you for being the comforting peace to all who have lost loved ones this week in violence across this world. Lord, in these last few days, lord, we ask, lord, for the peace of God that passes all understanding to reach every single heart. Lord, you are the Prince of Peace, and so we pray for the peace of Jerusalem. We pray, lord, that you say we say come, lord, jesus, lord, rule and reign in us, lord, we pray for our nation. We're so thankful for America. We love this nation you give to us, lord, for the blood and the sacrifice that's been given, lord, to continue to have the freedom to worship you. Lord, we thank you. We give you all the praise, lord.
:We pray today for America, lord, for the hearts of her people, lord, we pray that they would turn towards you, lord, back to the founding ideals, lord, to the values that we have of this country. Lord, that we would have a heart that's after you. Lord, we pray for our leaders, lord the president. We pray for the senate. We pray for the congress, lord, that their hearts should be turned towards you.
:It says that you have the hearts of kings in your hand, lord, and even in our area, for our governor, for the mayors of the towns in which we reside, lord, that each and every one would be directed by the God most high, would be drawn near to you, lord, we thank you because you put us in this very place where we are Lord from every different tribe and tongue that will be before your throne, lord, I pray that we would be those that shine in the spiritual darkness. For you, lord, we pray your kingdom, come. Your will be done in us. We pray this in the name of. For you, lord, we pray your kingdom, come. Your will be done in us. We pray this in the name of Jesus Christ, amen. We have a video for you.
Speaker 1:Good morning and welcome to Morning Edition. I'm Elijah Vance. We have a powerful story for you. Our correspondent, Sarah Jenkins, is in what was once a devastated city. It is now the site of an incredible rebuilding effort. That's right. Sarah is in Jerusalem, where the city walls are being reconstructed under the leadership of a man named Nehemiah. This is more than a construction project. It's a testament to the resilience of a people. Let's now go to Sarah in Jerusalem. Good morning. I'm here in a city of hope where the sounds of hammers are a soundtrack to a remarkable comeback.
:The city walls are rising from the rubble With me is the man leading this historic effort. Nehemiah, Thank you for speaking with us this project is a massive undertaking.
Speaker 1:Can you tell us about the process of rebuilding these walls?
:It has been a difficult task.
Speaker 1:We found the city's walls broken and the people scattered, but we serve an awesome God. It is his hand that guides us. The work is shared by all families, each rebuilding the section nearest their home.
:We work with our tools in one hand and our weapons in the other, for our enemies seek to stop us. What is the motivation that keeps everyone going?
Speaker 1:despite the challenges, our faith and our purpose. We know that this land, this city, is a gift from our God. We are not just building a physical wall. We are restoring the heart of our people. This land is sacred to us.
:We will defend it from any outside threat and from any within who do not honor the commands of the Lord. A truly powerful message. The commitment here is unwavering. The site of these walls being rebuilt is a testament to what a community can achieve. This is Sarah Jenkins. Live from Jerusalem.
Speaker 1:Back to you in the studio Did you say amen to that?
:Amen, amen. Can we have a hand for all of our creative arts people that make these things possible, for Jeremy, serena, the other team that help it? Man, amazing, they make these videos just for us and get a chance to talk about what we're doing. Well, welcome to Cornerstone. We have this opportunity to connect. My name is Jay.
:It's a blessing to be able to worship with you today. We're talking about this idea of build and we're in this series together For us. We see ourselves as those who are following after Jesus, so very much like the disciples. Where we're going, where he's leading us to go, none of us have arrived. All of us are on that journey following him. Amen. And if you didn't raise your hand, that you weren't perfect, welcome, we're glad you are now.
:So our ambition is to be more like his image, to be more like Jesus, and that's why, collectively, we love God, we make disciples and we reach the world. I would challenge you in this that we just started a new semester of life groups. How many people are excited for this semester of life groups? I am, it's amazing, and so let me encourage you in this. Get involved, make it be intentional, just carve out that time and to be a part of a life group. It will be a blessing to your life. It'll help you to connect with others, to build those relationships. It helps you to get involved, it helps you to grow in your relationship with God, to go deeper in your relationship with others, and really we always. Our ambition, our heart, for every semester, is to see people take a step closer to Jesus. So, even if that means that you're here and you're wrestling with trying to figure out your faith, get involved, take a step to find out more about Jesus, what he wants to do in and through your life, and then serve with your gifts and abilities. Get involved and help with your time and your talent, with the Lord, amen.
:So here at Cornerstone we've been talking about those things and we're in this series called Build. We just stepped off with it. We started in Ephesians. Looking to the scripture to kind of speak to us In Ephesians 2, it says that we are built on the foundation of the apostles, prophets and prophets, christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord.
:We talked about historically last week about Solomon building the temple and how the temple itself was something that the Lord had. First, the tabernacle, a meeting place. It was a way for a holy God to be with an unholy people by providing this space where there could be worship, there could be interaction and he would be amongst his people. You can see this diagram. This one is an example of what it was built like back in the day that one was in Israel, and this kind of gives you a cutaway of what that would have been like, each piece of it, each gate, each part of it being something of a worship as we would approach the Lord. We talked about how his anointing was upon all that built it, in the artistry and all the intricacies of the things that were there in the temple, and how that place was a meeting place with God and people. But now, jesus, having fulfilled the sacrifice for all people and giving his life and taking the sin of the world and paying for it, it split the veil and opened the temple so that each person can be the temple of God and the Holy Spirit of God resting in and upon your life. Someone say amen to that. We see that in Ephesians 2, 22. In him, you are also being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.
:Today, we continue in this idea of build. Looking to the scripture again, I'm going to ask you to open your Bible, your tablet, your phone. Nehemiah 4 is where we're going to be jumping off, starting in verse 17. And it says this those who carried burdens were loaded in such a way that each labored on the work with one hand and held his weapon with the other. Today, we're talking about this idea of build and fight. Lord, we pray over your word, lord, that you would just breathe upon it, making it alive to us and challenge us. Lord, you would speak to us, lord, that we would be transformed more into your image. We pray in the name of Jesus Christ, amen. So build and fight.
:It picks up here in scripture with the setting for Nehemiah and Ezra before him, and it kind of tells the story of what had happened to the children of Israel Following Solomon. His sons did not agree, and so there was a squabble and a scramble for the crown and over time, as different leaders emerged, it actually tore the nation into Israel and Judah, and both of them fighting different kings taking over in a power struggle as the people of God didn't agree with each other or in worshiping the Lord, and they allowed other things to come in and worship other gods. And that actually was open because of Solomon and the decisions he made. Though the Lord gave him a mind, that was wisdom from God, he also used that wisdom for himself. And as he enlarged his territory after having built the temple of God, he also used that wisdom for himself. And as he enlarged his territory after having built the temple of God, he actually started marrying into all these different princesses of all the region around him. But he allowed them to come and to bring their worship of foreign gods into the land of God and it started to splinter and break apart the nation spiritually before physically.
:It happened there, and so what we have is a setting where the prophets are risen up and we heard about that this summer about return back to God, turn your hearts toward God and repent. Different methods, different messages, all going the same direction. Some of those that were prophets, they foretold of the Lord's judgment that was coming saying listen, you have departed from me, so I will bring judgment against you, so that you will return your heart to me, but you won't be dismayed. I had promised this land to your fathers. I had given it to you through Moses and then through Joshua and the conquest of the land. We've established the king, and a good king, following Saul in David's heart after God. But it will be returned back after a time, and so the Lord brought in and allowed the Assyrians to come up and steal away part of the people of God from the land, and then again the Babylonians came and took the rest, and so all of those who were in high esteem, all of those who were in the city, all of those had been in part of the kingdom, were stolen away, had come and actually taken over Babylon from Persia, and they established themselves in the kingdom that were there, and we find Nehemiah, actually at the right hand of Anaxerxes the king, being the cup bearer.
:Now, how many people know that you have to trust the cup bearer Because if you don't, you're going to die? How many people know that? So the cup bearer was someone that would watch over the cup. They would watch over what's going into the king so that they wouldn't die from poison in his cup or in his food. So Nehemiah got to eat at the king's table, so to speak. He got first dibs on every little bit of what the king was having. So the king had to trust Nehemiah, and, even though he had someone who has a heart after God and worshiped and longed to be back in Jerusalem, there he served in excellence before the king.
:And it says that the word came back to him of those who were the remnant that had returned back because Cyrus had sent ahead that they could re-establish the temple as it had been ransacked and all the elements been stolen away, but that it would be re-established. But the city itself that laid in demise. All the walls had been broken down, the gates had been burned. And the city itself that laid in demise. All of the walls had been broken down, the gates had been burned and the houses had been destroyed. And so, though they had come to a place of worship, the city itself, the grandeur that we had known from David and Solomon, all of it was gone.
:And so this message, it comes to Nehemiah and it picks up here in Scripture as we see it. It says Nehemiah 1, 3, and they said to me the remnant there is in the providence, which survived the exile and is in great trouble and shame, and the wall of Jerusalem is broken down and its gates are destroyed by fire, and so you can imagine what this might look like a depiction here with the things being broke down around it and how the walls were no longer giving any kind of safety. There was no sanctuary from which to run, and so it made them available for any and all that would come to attack them, to come and pillage the people. So they lived in fear. They lived in shame. There was no kingdom anymore, and this moved greatly upon Nehemiah's heart. You can see it here in verse four. As soon as I heard these words, I sat down and wept and mourned for days, and I continued fasting and praying before the God of heaven.
:Friends, what he was experiencing was heartbreak. He was experiencing heartbreak, and the reason is because he cared deeply about what was happening. He had a deep love for his people and for Jerusalem and the stories of old and all that had been. He longed for his people to be restored back and to be a place of safety as they worshiped the Lord. And so, as he mourned and as he cried, as his heart was broken for something, it started to motivate him towards action. I can tell you this that unless your heart breaks for something, you're not going to take action to change it. And what that means is that if you really care about your loved one, if you really care about your friend, if you really care about your neighbor and care about your sphere of influence, you care about your friend at work, then you're going to be someone who goes and shares the message of Jesus Christ with them. Because that's the heartbreak is that if they didn't go into eternity knowing Jesus, then you would be heartbroken. Friends, if our heart doesn't break for the world, we'll never do anything about it. But if our heart breaks for a place and we live with a passion for something, then we will take a stand and do something about it.
:The king he sees Nehemiah's face and he asks them what's going on. And so his response in verse five of chapter two says this I said to the king if it pleases the king and if your servant has found favor in your sight, that you send me to Judah, to the city of my father's graves, that I may rebuild it, and you can imagine what that ask is like. I mean, this is the cupbearer of the king, after all. He sits there in his court, he's beside him. But what happens next is that God moves upon the king's heart. A king that doesn't worship him, a king that doesn't honor him, but God nonetheless moves upon his heart and uses him as a tool of restoration. How much more can God work on your behalf, even through those who don't serve him, to do something for you and for the kingdom of God? Amen.
:We see it here, and it says that he went out and that the king didn't just give him just the permission to go, he also gave him all the resource to do the work. It said that he was able to go to the king's forest and ask for timber, and he was able to go with the authority of the king, not just to go yep, you can go yourself. No, he walked with the authority of the king to go. And so he started to go out and look at Jerusalem. Once he arrived and he looked at the different places Nehemiah 2.13, it says I went out at night at the valley gate, to the dragon spring and to the dung gate, inspected the walls of Jerusalem that were broken down and its gates had been destroyed by fire. You can imagine what that would be like. It would be this thing that just broke his heart as he walked between the columns and alongside the wall. That had been this grandeur. It had been this amazing place, the city of light and of God, that had been there.
:And he's walking around and it's in shambles. The gates are completely burned, there's no way to keep the enemy out. And he's walking around realizing the kind of insurmountable task that he had said yes to. But here's the thing that he knew is that he wasn't called to do it alone, that they were corporately called to do it. And so he starts to go and to talk to the leaders that were there in the city, that had gone ahead to the remnant that belonged in Nehemiah 2.17. When I said to them you see the trouble we are in, how Jerusalem lies in ruins with its gates burned, come In verse 18, it says for good and also of the words that the king had spoken to me and they said let us rise up and build.
:So they strengthened with their hands for the good work. Someone say amen to that, friends. That's what I'm talking about is that they were willing to say yes to the challenge that would have been in for them. And not just that, but they also had a resolve to do it. See, they started to catch the passion that had come from Nehemiah's heart, that he started to say listen, this thing is heartbreaking. You see it around us. It's destruction. We need to do something about it. And, friends, that's the same thing he talks to us about is about being those willing to say yes, to do something for what we stand, for, what we live, for, what we build our life upon. That it would be in alignment with the word of God, and then we would go to hard work to do something about it. It doesn't say it was easy. It said they had to strengthen their hands to do the work.
:I don't know about you, but there was a time in my life where I had really good work calluses on my hands, you know, like where you get like a really man's handshake, where it's really gruff and kind of like things. And that was because when I grew up I was a post hole digger, like. So my dad would be like here, jt, here's a shovel, dig a hole. And then my soft, wonderful, smooth hands, friends, they were so smooth. Now they're full of calluses and messed up because now I'm using a, you know, figuring out how to dig through the hard Arizona ground somebody and trying to get a hole dug and he's like, nope, bigger hole. I'm like, ah, and you got to go more. Why? Because you have to strengthen your resolve for the thing that you have to press through and you have to be willing to get some calluses to do the work, to really hold on to it.
:You ever shaken hands with old man strength, like a guy who's been running a pipe wrench for 40 years. He can crush your hand. He's like how you doing? You're like, ah, I'm good, thank you very much. And you curtsy you know what I mean Like it's bad, but he has the Strength from doing the resolve of the work. Holding on and doing the work, friends, that's what we're called to do as well to be those that build up the strength to do the hard work in front of us.
:So often, I think some of the things that we go through, the refining that the Lord allows to happen, is not that he makes it happen to you, but allows you to go through it, because you'll become someone who has resolve to do the hard work he's called you for, so that we would be available to what he wants to do in and through us. We see it as it continues forward here. They start to talk about how there's this thing that these people start to say, oh, I see that they've come and they're starting to rebuild the wall. Well, we'll go and we'll attack him. And they start to send threats, and they start to send envoys. And we see what Nehemiah says in chapter four, verse 14. And I look and arose and said to the nobles and to the officials and the rest of the people do not be afraid of them, remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your brothers, your sons, your daughters, your wives and your homes.
:Friends, he had a passion to say we're going to fight for something, we're going to stand up and do something about it. Man, whenever you catch that passion from somebody, man, it just it starts to rile you up. I don't know about you, but I get pumped up. You start to catch a passion for something that you're like wow, this is having effect. Friends, that's the same thing with your testimony to those around you is that when you get fired up for something, you're like man, there's something really going on in this person and they start to see it and they start to catch fire for it.
:Let me give you an example of something that doesn't have spiritual matter into it. It doesn't really matter eternally. It's called sports. You guys talked about sports before. So you know, like, let's say, you're from here, from the hard earth of Arizona, you were born to this land, and then somehow you are not supporting the team from here, you're supporting some other terrible football team. You guys know what I'm talking about, and we won't point them out because that would be easy, and so we're not going to do that. Instead, what we're going to do is going to say, okay, the reason that they are willing to follow something from not from where they're from, but from a passion, is because the passion of their parents, who came before them, and their parents are passionate, and so, therefore, you're going to have this passion and they grow up oh, this is great when the team is terrible. But they remember that their parents said there once was a time when the team was good. It was before your grandfather's grandfather, many, many years ago. And the reason I point at that is because I checked my sports scores this morning, before my first service, on how my soccer team was doing back in Europe. You guys know what I'm talking about.
:See, we like those things, but they have no eternal value and we get fired up. Man, I can tell you I'm fighting people in this very room on my fantasy. So you guys be nice to me, does it matter? No, no, it doesn't. We love it, it's fun, it's good, it's not a bad thing. But what if we get fired up for something that really has eternal value? What if we get fired up for the people around us? What if we fight the darkness, spiritually speaking on our knees and praying for our family and our neighbors, for the people that don't like us at work and we don't know if we like them, but we value them and they need to know Jesus? What if we decide to fight there? What if we stand and build and fight?
:It says that Nehemiah, he has wisdom in this way. See. It says from that day on, in verse 16 of chapter 4, half of my servants worked on construction, the other half held the spears, shields, bows and coats of mail, and the leaders stood behind the whole house of Judah who were building the wall. That means they were supporting what was going on with their presence and their influence. Those who carried burdens were loaded in such a way that each labored with the work on one hand and held his weapon in the other.
:Friends, they were called to build and fight, not just one or the other. See, that's what it calls for us is to be those that build our life upon the values of Christ and fight, spiritually speaking, the spiritual evil that's in this world. That means that we need to be people of the book and people of time with God, to abide in the spirit of God and to let the word of God wash over us and transform us, to let this thing tell our own situation and emotion. Really, what's going on. The truth of the gospel will speak to us that we do not need to fear those who can't kill the soul, but we live as unto him, who is eternal, who is the king of glory. Friends that we would build and fight. It says that in the end of it, though they threatened them at all sides, though they even checked against them. What was going on?
:In the end they were successful in restoring the wall back to the city of Jerusalem. They went there and they hung new gates upon the gateposts and they made a place that was secure for the people of God to thrive, and it was from that place forward that set the stage for Jesus's arrival years later, as the remnants of God had returned to the place and the city of God, that it would be something that happened for the Lord, that he would be given the glory. It says in Ezra, the book before Nehemiah you could even see it there as a continuation of this story, the precursor actually to Nehemiah it says that hera, the book before Nehemiah you could even see it there as a continuation of this story, the precursor actually to Nehemiah it says that he was there and he blessed the Lord, the great God, and all the people answered amen, amen, lifting their hands. And they bowed their heads and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground. Friends, they were worshiping the living God, they were worshiping the Lord, and that's our challenge as well, that we would be those that worship the Lord, that the worship of the Lord would be a weapon against the darkness. It would be something where we say eyes for me in my house, we're going to follow the Lord, we're going to worship the Lord. Then, come what may, hell or high water, I'm holding on to Jesus and I'm going to worship him with all that I have. I love this because it becomes a celebration. They're in the midst of this chaos, this threat from all sides, and Nehemiah says listen, this is a celebration day. We're going to give this celebration as unto the Lord, we're going to provide it for others around us.
:Nehemiah 8 10 says and he said to them go your way, eat the fat and drink sweet wine and send portions to everyone who has nothing ready for this day is holy to our Lord and do not be grieved, for the joy of the Lord is your strength. Friends, it doesn't matter what you're facing. The joy of the Lord can be your strength. In the middle of a fearful situation, when you don't have the answers, the joy of the Lord can be your strength. You don't have to be downtrodden, you don't have to be depressed, you don't have to say woe is me. No, you could say, as for me, the joy of the Lord is going to be my strength as I walk through this. I trust him, he is our source, he is my father and we draw near to him. Friends, we see it, we come back to it. Ephesians 2. In him, you are also being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit that's what you're called to be is a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.
:Friends, that you would be one that is heartbroken for those around you. That you see the people around you who don't know Jesus and it breaks your heart. That you pray for the people in your family who don't know Jesus yet. That you pray for your people in your family who don't know Jesus yet. That you pray for your family and your friends, you pray for your neighbors to know Jesus. That you'd be heartbroken for those around you, even in your work sphere, wherever you're going. That you'd pray for them and pray for them to know Jesus the person that you don't like the most you need to pray for the most that they would know Jesus. That they would know Jesus that's how I got here is I was on a bunch of people's lists and they prayed for me. I'm not joking. Praise the Lord, but that the Lord would break our heart. He would break our heart for the nations. That would be the only sacrifice to give so others would know the love of Christ.
:Friends, we're called to build and fight. We build our lives upon the principles, upon the values that God has given us in his word, and we fight in the spirit, not in the physical. We're against violence that we've experienced this week. What we're talking about is to be those who fight in the spirit for the goodness of God to thrive and for the word of God to go forward. And we worship the Lord. See, our worship is a weapon against the darkness. So your worship of God, especially in difficult places, aligns your heart and your actions with your faith, it says.
:As for my situation, I know what I'm experiencing, I know what the details say, but I trust in God, who's greater than my circumstances. I trust in a God who has answers outside of my diagnosis. I trust a God who is my provision, even in difficult seasons, and I will worship the Lord. Friends, that Jesus would be the cornerstone of your life, that you would build your life from him and use him as the guiding place, because Jesus is the only holy sacrifice for all people and our salvation is only found in him. We're called to build Friends. Today we have this opportunity to embrace Jesus, to invite him into our heart and life.
:Earlier today, many people raising their hand to say yes to Jesus, to commit their hearts and lives to him, some for the first time, some as a recommitment to him, and it's exciting, because, as you have this opportunity, just like we do is that we say yes to Jesus, lord. There's a real separation at the end of our life from a holy God and all of us that's the justice is we all actually deserve to be those who are away from him, but for his grace, extended to us his mercy, which is rich, he came all the way through glory and lived a sinless life to become a sacrifice for us, for all people, once and for all. That's why the symbol of the cross is one that's so transformative, it's so powerful, because the cross is where my Savior took my sin and he died for it in my place. He did the same for you, and so the cross is a symbol of our forgiveness. It was used as a thing to threaten people and to be subjugated, but it said, jesus takes the very threat of death and he turns it on his head and says no, you will live with me for eternity as we walk together in community. But first, friends, we have to be those that ask him to forgive us of our sins, to be the Lord of our life, not just fire insurance against hell and damnation, but to draw near to the Lord and to have him as the Lord of our life.
:The scripture says it like this in Romans, paul, writing to the church, he says Friends, today it's your day. It's your day to say yes to Jesus, to invite him into your heart and life. I'm going to ask everyone in the room if you'd stand to your feet right where you're at, bow your heads as Christians are praying, people are making decisions to follow Jesus. Today, friends, maybe you hear this is the first time you've heard this message about a God who loves you, about his sacrifice for your life. Maybe you've heard about it arbitrarily, but it's never been made so clear that Jesus wants to have a relationship with you. Today is your opportunity to say yes to him, to ask him to forgive you of your sin, to invite him into your heart and life and change everything. He's the answer you've been looking for. Maybe you're here and you have made a decision in the past, but you walked away from living for Jesus.
:Friends, it says the father is looking out for the prodigal to return, and so if that's you today, then he's running towards you and wants to embrace you, to return back into relationship with him. That you would make a commitment to Jesus. Today, as heads are bowed and Christians are praying if that's you, you'd say Pastor I want to be included in that prayer today. I always want to make a commitment to follow Jesus. If you just raise your hand right where you're at, I want to single you out. I just want to agree in prayer with you today. Thank you, jesus. Thank you, jesus. People making decisions, reinforcing decisions today. Thank you, lord. You see the hands that are there. Thank you, jesus. Amen.
:Friends, online, wherever you are, you see your decision you're making for Jesus today. Thank you, lord. I'm going to ask if everyone would, if they would pray this prayer out loud after me. Lord, thank you for loving me. Thank you for sending Jesus. I believe Jesus died on the cross for my sins. I believe he rose again. Forgive me of my sins. I surrender my life to you In Christ's name. I pray Amen, amen.
:Friends, we rejoice with you making a decision to follow Jesus today. Those that raised their hand praise the Lord. Friends, if you're out there, wherever you are making a decision, we rejoice with you as well. Hey, if you're here in the house and you made a decision, connect with us. We want to be able to put some materials into your hands. If you're online, we want to be able to be in relationship with you. Message us so that you don't do this life alone.
:Friends, today we have this opportunity to respond to this message of God's goodness, of his love for us, that we will be those that take up the mantle and say yes to him, that we will build and we will fight and we will stand for what he wants us to do, and we will be those who are obedient to him. Maybe you're someone who's just in need of a touch from the Lord. Maybe you need a physical healing, an emotional healing, a relational healing in your life. This is available to you today this altar. We'll have people come and pray alongside you. Maybe you're someone who just needs the boldness to say yes to the very thing that God has been talking to you about, that you would come and make an altar with God. Or maybe you just need more of his presence. As we walk out this path that we're on.
:I open this altar to you as we pray, lord. We thank you so much, Lord. We pray over your word. Thank you, lord, for the example of Nehemiah. Thank you for his obedience to you, for his courage to say yes, or for his boldness to not retreat whenever people threatened and to pull back, but instead they built and did the thing you called them and protected all the way. They were willing to build and fight.
:Lord, today, that we would do the same, lord, spiritually. That we would be those that build our lives upon your values, upon who you are, lord. That we would be those that fight in spiritual places. We pray for those around us. That we would use the testimony you've given us, lord, to proclaim the glory of our living God. Lord, as we come to your altar today, we do so, lord, embracing more of your presence and power and anointing as we live this thing out. We pray this in the name of Jesus Christ, amen. Hey, just wanted to reiterate what Davina was sharing with us. Then sign up for a life group. It's not too late. We're beginning the semester and so get involved. You can shoot those QR codes on any of the signs on the way out today.
Speaker 1:And immediately following this service, we are going to have a volunteer luncheon in the multipurpose room and we want to honor our volunteers. So if you are serving in any capacity here at the church, we want to honor you today. In any capacity here at the church, we want to honor you today.
:So come and join us, and it's just going to be a great time. Before we go, we want to pray this blessing over us. The Lord bless you and keep you. Lord, make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you. We'll lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace. Lord, I pray a blessing upon your church, your people. Lord, you empower us by your spirit to live your love out to those around us. Pray all this in the powerful name that is Jesus Christ. Amen, amen, know this. We love you very much here at Cornerstone. God bless you and have a great week.