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<v SPEAKER_00>Good morning, First Baptist Wimberly.

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<v SPEAKER_00>This is Mike Gibbons.

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<v SPEAKER_00>Welcome to Friday.

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<v SPEAKER_00>Nehemiah was called by God to rebuild Jerusalem's wall.

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<v SPEAKER_00>In Nehemiah 6, which we will look at this Sunday, we find even more opposition to his project.

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<v SPEAKER_00>Now remember, first he was mocked in chapter 2, and then threatened in chapter 4, and now in chapter 6, his enemies are inviting him to talk things out.

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<v SPEAKER_00>Now that seems like a reasonable request.

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<v SPEAKER_00>Discussion about issues or conflicts is often wise, and it's important to hear the other side of the story.

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<v SPEAKER_00>But when Nehemiah received the request to talk, listen to how he responded.

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<v SPEAKER_00>Let me read verses two through four of chapter six.

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<v SPEAKER_00>Sandbalat and Gisham sent to me saying, Come, let us meet together at Hakharim in the plain of Onoh.

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<v SPEAKER_00>But they intended to do me harm.

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<v SPEAKER_00>And I sent messengers to them saying, I am doing a great work, and I cannot come down.

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<v SPEAKER_00>Why should the work stop while I leave it and come down to you?

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<v SPEAKER_00>And they sent to me four times in this way, and I answered them in the same manner.

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<v SPEAKER_00>I am doing important work and cannot come down.

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<v SPEAKER_00>And he kept repeating it.

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<v SPEAKER_00>Nehemiah was unwilling to be distracted from the mission God had given him.

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<v SPEAKER_00>Now most of us don't have the clarity of Nehemiah's dramatic calling to rebuild a wall.

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<v SPEAKER_00>But Jesus made our mission pretty clear throughout the New Testament, especially in Matthew with a Great Commission.

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<v SPEAKER_00>And we paraphrase our mission here at First Baptist as to magnify Christ and share the gospel in our homes, the Wimberley Valley, and beyond.

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<v SPEAKER_00>This is the most important mission, and one that requires faithful, focused attention.

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<v SPEAKER_00>Yet we are so distracted, aren't we?

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<v SPEAKER_00>From social media to the news to entertainment, distractions are everywhere.

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<v SPEAKER_00>The world wants to talk about something new every hour.

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<v SPEAKER_00>It wants to tell you about accidents that happen across the world and wars and crimes that seem to occur with concerning regularity.

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<v SPEAKER_00>These are things God cares deeply about and that require urgent attention.

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<v SPEAKER_00>But they should, in various seasons, in my opinion, be ignored.

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<v SPEAKER_00>It seems to me this is what Nehemiah is telling us.

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<v SPEAKER_00>Sometimes you need to be confident that you are already doing important work in your family, your church, and your community, and tell the world that you cannot come down.

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<v SPEAKER_00>This is Mike Gibbons, and I love being your pastor.