Paul writes to Timothy and he says to him, command those who are rich in this present age, not to be haughty, not to trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God. He gives us richly all things to enjoy. Let them do good that they may be rich in good work, ready to give, willing to share. Storing up for themselves a good foundation for the time to come. That they may lay hold on eternal life. Notice this, he’s saying, for all the people that God has blessed, for all the people in all the people that God has blessed and are doing well. He’s actually saying, it’s okay, you can enjoy it but he’s also saying, you gotta be willing to share and be willing to give. So, what that tells me is this, God doesn’t have a problem with us having things. He has a problem with things having us. That’s the problem.
That’s why the Bible says in Matthew 6, seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness. And live in poverty your whole life. No, don’t say that. Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and then, all these things will be added unto you. Kingdom first is what he’s actually saying. He’s saying, it’s okay to enjoy your life. God wants his people to be happy. God doesn’t want his people walking around looking like they’ve been sucking on lemons, trying to be extra serious. God wants his people to be joyful. Why? Cause the Bible tells us there in Nehemiah, “The joy of the Lord is your strength.”
You cannot be a strong Christian without being joyful. Being miserable means weak Christians. Joyful Christians are joyful. Now, notice this. The Bible tells us in Galatians that joy is a Fruit of the Spirit. Through the Spirit. I’ve told you about this before that it’s a Fruit of the Spirit, not a seed of the Spirit. Some people think that it’s a seed.
Oh, that’s right brother. I’ve got joy. Deep, deep, down, joy’s not a seed, it’s a fruit. My grandfather used to own an apple orchard. He used to drive us around the back of the ute and show us the different apple trees. He’d point to them. They’re granny apples. They’re golden delicious. They’re Jonathan’s. He could tell just by looking at them. He didn’t have to dig around into the root system to figure out what kind of fruit it was.
Joy is a Fruit of the Spirit. We should be able to tell we got joy by looking at your face. Amen. Amen. Joy is the Fruit of the Spirit. It’s not a gift of the Spirit. Oh, you’re just one of those happy people. You just got joy wherever you go. You just light up the room. You just got the gift of joy. Joy is not a gift, it’s a fruit. So, what that means is this, it’s supposed to be evident in all our lives. And it’s available to every believer. And how does the scripture say I have joy? Enjoy your blessings, man. Enjoy what he’s given you. It’s okay. Be willing to share. Be ready to and available to be a blessing wherever we are at all times. But let’s make sure that we actually enjoy the life that he’s actually given us. Amen. The third one is this. The third key when we’ve rebuilt our walls is to restructure our world. Restructure your world. Set your life up so you don’t have to go back to how we were.
Nehemiah 11:1-2. Now the leaders of the people dwell to Jerusalem. The rest of the people cast lots to bring one out of ten to dwell in Jerusalem. The holy city. And nine tents were to dwell in other cities. And the people blessed were all the men who willed themselves to dwell at Jerusalem. So, basically, there was a remnant when the walls were broken down. There was a remnant of Jews in Jerusalem. There was 50,000 but there was somewhere between two and three million in other parts of the world. And so he’s saying here, right, one tenth of the rest of you, you have to come and live at Jerusalem.
So, one tenth is anywhere between 200,000 and 300,000 people. So, there was 50,000 and they added another 2 to 300,000 people there. So they times by five to 7, the amount of people that were living in that city. Why did they do that? Well, it’s one thing to rebuild the wall. It’s no good if you don’t have enough people there to protect it and so what they’re saying is yes, we’ve rebuilt the wall but now, we have to structure up things so that it could stay the way that it is. We can’t be the way that we were before the war was rebuilt. We have to structure and handle.
That’s why or basically from Nehemiah 7 right through the end, it’s essentially restructuring society to handle the breakthrough and the blessing that God has actually brought suddenly into their lives. That’s why sometimes in our life too, if we’re not going to keep going back to the way that we were, we have to now change some things. Maybe we’ve gotta change the habits that caused us to get in the problem in the first place. Maybe you needed a financial miracle and it was to do maybe with the way that you handled finances and that sort of thing. It’s no good after getting the miracle going back to the same way that we use finance. Things actually had to change. Maybe sometimes what you need to do is that we have sometimes what we need to do is there’s some places now if I’m going to outlive this miracle that’s God give me.
There’s some places that I can’t go to anymore. Maybe there’s even some people I can’t be in a yoked relationship with anymore. A yoked relationship is one where literally you’re tied together where you go, I go. The Bible says don’t be unequally yoked with unbelievers. It doesn’t say don’t have friends with unbelievers of course. We’re supposed to have friends with all people, all different types of people in society but it means that sometimes maybe the level of relationship I had before, doesn’t work because it pulls me in the wrong direction.
I learnt this first hand when I first became a Christian. I had a good mate. His name was Rory and he and I used to go to the nightclubs. And that’s on him. Then I stopped going because I just didn’t want to go anymore. I became a Christian and I preferred going to church on Sunday and I wanted to be refreshed. When I went to church, I remember one time he rings me up on a Saturday afternoon. And he’s like, “Benny It’s your mate Rory.” I said, “G’day Rory.” And he says, “Could you,” he goes, “oh, you want to come to Juice with me tonight, Benny?”
Juice was the nightclub that was near where we lived and I realise now he’s looking for a designated driver. And he said, “You know, you come to Juice with me, Benny.” I said, “Mate, I don’t want to come. Look, I’m going to church in the morning. I just don’t want to have a late night tonight.” He goes, “Oh, come on. Do it for your old mate, Rory. We’re mates. Come on.”
I said, “Listen, I’ll do it. If you come to church with me in the morning.”
“Then no worries, mate. Of course, you’re my mate.”
So, I went out that night, took him. I’m drinking orange juice at the nightclub. He’s going crazy, going wild, standing up at tables, that sort of thing. I drop him home. I ring him up in the morning. “Hey, Rory, are you ready for church?”
“Oh, sorry, Benny. I can’t go with you.” Second week, Saturday afternoon. “Benny. It’s your mate, Rory. Take me to Juice, Benny.” I said, “Listen, Rory, I don’t want to go to Juice.” He says, “Come on, do it for your old mate, Rory. We’re mates. Come on.” And I said, “Look, I’ll go if you come to church with me in the morning.”
He goes, and and he goes, oh, he goes, “Yeah, of course, Benny, I’ll come with you to church.” And so, I went out with him that night. He’s going crazy. I’m sitting in the corner, sipping an orange juice and that sort of thing. Then, I woke up the next morning, slept in for church, and got ready for the night service. I rang him up. “Hey, Rory, you’re coming to church?”
“Oh, sorry but I can’t come.”
Took a while for me to get it. Happened four weeks in a row. And I realised I’m now getting pulled back in a direction I don’t want to go. So I had a revelation. Maybe I’m not the person God’s going to use to bring him back to Christ. Sometimes that happens right? We think, oh, you know, if I just if they’re pulling you and you’re not pulling them, you’re not the person. Yeah. To walk in what God has for you, sometimes you gotta cut it and believe that God will send someone else. Amen.
We can’t be the same that we were before. If we’re going to, there’s some things we need to change. Those behaviours, maybe God has healed your marriage. Well, we need to deal with the behaviors that caused it to get in trouble in the first place. All these things were a reason why the walls were broken down. 50,000 people, they’re not going to get the job done. We have to change the way that we do. What is it that you’re believing for but now thinking, once I get this breakthrough, I’m never going back to that. This is how I’m going to live my life now. If I’m going to outwork the breakthrough that God has brought into my life. Thank you very much. That’s why Jesus says in Matthew 12, part of Jesus’ ministry was a deliverance ministry. He’s cast demons out of people and that sort of thing and he says in verse forty-three of Matthew 12, when an unclean spirit goes out of a man, he goes through dry places seeking rest and finds none.
The spirit does. Then he says, I will return to my house, which was the person he came out of. From which I came and when he comes, he finds it empty, swept and put in order. Then he goes and takes with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself. And they enter and dwell there. In the last state of that man is worse than the first. So, Jesus is saying, when he cast the spirit out of a person, it goes but it can come back. If there’s nothing to replace, if there’s nothing to fill that void.
That’s why a lot of the time, part of the key is don’t just get your breakthrough and cut off an area. You gotta replace it with something. It’s no good if you’re wanting a breakthrough in your in your in your dieting or something like that. You can’t just not eat something. Gotta replace it with other things instead. And in the same way, he’s saying, we have to… you have to restructure in order to handle the breakthrough and the deliverance that God gives. and the fourth one is this. Remember his house. Remember his house.
Nehemiah 13:11. Nehemiah said, “So I contended with the rulers and said, why is the house of God forsaken? And I gathered them together and set them in their place.”
I love that about Nehemiah. I set them in their place, mate. Cause what happened was they restructured society and one of the things that they also restructured was the house of God. Gave it preeminence. In the period of time that happened, it started getting less attention. Nehemiah comes back and says, mate, this is out of order. He goes, you have neglected the house of God and he straightened it out again. We need to remember his house.
One of the things I’ve learned is this, this is not our church. I’m talking about other churches that I’ve visited and that is that someone will come to church when they’re struggling. If they come, they got a problem. I need God. You know, I need God to move and I need a break and then they get their breakthrough and in other churches, not ours, you don’t see them again. Cause they came and got what they wanted. Got the breakthrough, got the miracle, and then off to somewhere else.
And he is saying, no, no, no. Let’s never take for granted or forget. The house of God. You’ve heard of humps. Some people say, you know, church is like a hospital. You go there when you’re broken. No, man. Church is not a hospital. It’s more than that. It’s more than a hotel as well that we go to, when you go on a holiday. It’s actually a home. if you’re sick, yes, come. If you’re doing awesome, come. If you’re in the middle, come. It doesn’t matter. If you’re young, come. If you’re old, come. It’s for everybody continuously. It’s not just where we go to when things aren’t going well. It’s where we go the rest of our life.
I love Psalm 23. I talk about it all the time. Maybe because you’d hear it at funerals but Psalm 23 says: “The Lord’s my shepherd, I shall not want. Makes me lie down in green pastures. Leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. Leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death. Tough time. Hard place. I’ll fear no evil. For you are with me. Your rod and your staff. They comfort me. Then you come out of the tough time. The shepherd takes you out. You prepare a table for me in the presence of my enemies. It’s talking about prominence. You anoint my head with oil. It’s talking about promotion. My cup runs over.”
It’s talking about prosperity. Then in verse six he says, “Surely goodness and mercy follow me.” That’s talking about purpose. You go and chase your dream. But it doesn’t end there. Cause then he says at the end of verse six, “And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”
Yeah. Yeah. I don’t just go to the house of the Lord when things are bad. Doesn’t say, I will dwell in the house of the Lord once a month. Doesn’t say I will dwell in the house of the Lord online from the beach. Don’t say, I will dwell in the house of the Lord when things aren’t going well. I will, I will dwell in the house of the Lord when it fits into my schedule. It says, I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. I honestly believe that God’s desire is that you live a blessed and a victorious life. That not all of the Christian life has to be intense suffering. I don’t believe that. The scripture doesn’t say that. There are times when there are great fruitfulness and there are great blessing. It’s in those moments we must never forget what he has done for us. And we must not forget his house. Why would I go to the house of the Lord when I’m fine? Cause there’s other people that need you. We don’t come to the house of the Lord just when I’m in trouble. We come to the house of the Lord when I’m doing well. Cause we move beyond just simply being in need. We move into the position now, where we can minister and be a blessing to others. Amen.
There’s some people here who just dragged themselves here today. You’re feeling fine. You’re doing fantastic. When you have a couple with them afterwards wanting to be a blessing to them. Talk to them. Chat. Encourage and pray for them and that sort of thing. Cause it gets beyond me just needing my needs met. And we go beyond and I’m still going to dwell right in the house of the Lord forever. Amen.
At 8:30, we are honoured by one of our great members, a lady by the name of Ruth Van Werkhoven. King’s is a miracle in motion for the last 45 years and there’s been lots of significant people. Everyone’s significance has impacted it and helped King’s along but I talk a little bit about a Mount Rushmore of King’s. Mount Rushmore in the US is basically where they have you know, the carvings into this mountain of like, I think it’s five significant presidents from the United States historically. And I always talk about King’s as a Mount Rushmore. Everyone’s important but there’s some people, and this lady Ruth Van Werkhoven and her husband were really that. In the early days of our school and church they are one of the couples that actually kept our church, kept our school afloat, and helped start it, and helped pioneer it, and helped get it going, and now it’s flourishing.
And today was her last Sunday here. Cause she’s moving out, you know over to Beaudesert and that sort of thing and so. And so she’s a kind of lady, that in the early days obviously had a lot of need, and served, and helped. And one of the most comforting things I love about my church is, that is our church story. I could see people in certain spots and know that’s what they said and that’s what they actually like that. I love the fact we got people who say you know what? Life’s good. I’m blessed. I’m happy. And I’m going to dwell in the house of the Lord forever. Amen. Let us be those kinds of people when God gives us our miracles, when he gives us our breakthroughs, that we never forget him, and we never forget his house. He’s blessed us so that we can be a blessing to others. Amen. So what do you do once you’ve rebuilt your wall? We need to remember the Lord. It’s okay to revel in his blessings. We need to restructure our world. And we must never forget. We must always remember the house of God. Amen.
And I want to pray for you and I want to bless you. And I’m believing for every single person here. Some of you got some challenges going on right now. I’m praying that you’re going to be an overcomer. I’m praying that God’s going to give you the victory. And when he does, never forget what he did on the other side of that breakthrough. Amen. So if you’re here and you’re saying, there’s still a few things I need rebuilt right now. There’s some areas that I need to have that I’ve been waiting for for a long time. I just want to pray for you right where you are in your seat. So just close your eyes and bow your heads for a moment and if that’s you, you’re saying that’s me. I need a breakthrough. I need a miracle in a particular area. If that’s you, slip up your hand right where you are. I’m going to pray for you. In fact, what I’d love to do is this is the house of God. We can do this with family and just where you are, just stand to your feet if that’s alright. You got your hand raised, a number of you, you’re not by yourself. Just stand your feet and if you’re near someone standing, why don’t you stretch your hand out towards them?
We’re going to pray for you, but before I do, Shane, I had a word for you and then you’re getting changed so I forgot to give it a burden. I remember it now. I just had a picture of a snake that shed its skin. Not in a demonic way or anything like that. And basically, it left, it was almost imperceptible but it left the past behind. Yeah. And just moved on. I just felt God say that today, after your water baptism, these things that you’ve been challenged with and struggling with, you’ve left behind now, and you’re going to be out of just move on from it and leave that in the past. Father, I thank you for that. I release that for Shane, Lord right now in Jesus name. Amen.
Stretch your hands towards these people. They’re standing. Father, in Jesus name, I pray for everybody standing and I thank you Lord God even if we’ve waited a long time, you can produce a breakthrough and a miracle suddenly. So, I pray for every person here and I just declare Lord God, may their walls be rebuilt. May their walls be rebuilt and I pray Lord, may it be a quick work, Lord. May it be a sudden work, Lord. May it be a miraculous work. May it be the kind of work that you alone will get all the glory, I thank you for that Lord in Jesus’ name.
And I also pray, Lord God, that after they get their breakthrough, help them to outlive and outwork and walk in the victories and the breakthroughs that you have for them. I thank you and praise you for that Lord in Jesus name. Amen. Church, would you stand to your feet? Lift your hands to Heaven. I’m going to pray and then we’ll hand over to the worship team. Lift your hands even. Father in Jesus name. Pray for every single person in this place. And I declare Lord God. Breakthrough. I declare blessing. I declare victory. I declare an ability to hear your voice and know your wills and ways. May they be carriers of your blessing this week, Lord and may they be carriers of your favour. I thank you and I praise you Lord, in Jesus name.
