Rebuild The Ruins
Message Moments & Highlights
The Foundation Starts With God
Not all foundations are built to last. If your life is grounded in status, pride, or comparison, it will eventually give way. But when it's built on prayer, love, grace, and forgiveness—on Christ—it stands firm. What are you building on?
Everyone Has A Purpose
God has uniquely equipped you with gifts that serve His greater mission. Whether you're a parent, teacher, friend, or leader—your role matters. Step into where He has placed you and help build something eternal. We need each other to fulfil His call.
Fight For The Generations
What you build in faith today becomes the covering your children walk under tomorrow. Every prayer, every word of truth spoken into your home, builds a foundation that holds through life's storms. You're not just rebuilding for yourself—you're shaping the spiritual future of generations.
Rebuild The Ruins
Drawing from Nehemiah 4:6–13, Ps Fua speaks to the call to restore what is broken in our lives with God firmly at the centre. The message begins with the reminder that a strong spiritual foundation—like a well-laid slab in construction—is essential. Prayer, not panic, must be our first response when facing hardship. Everyone has a role to play in God’s kingdom; willingness, not perfection, is what He seeks.
Through the example of Nehemiah, who positioned families at the most vulnerable parts of the wall, Ps Fua illustrates the value of standing together in faith. We are encouraged to support one another, recognising that each person contributes uniquely to the building of something greater. This call to rebuild is not only personal but generational—what we invest in today becomes the legacy for our children and their children.
The challenge is clear: remember what God has done in your life and allow that memory to inspire action. Whether through prayer, encouragement, or faith-filled steps, we are to build not only for ourselves but for the future. Our foundation in Christ, our sense of purpose, and our commitment to the next generation are key to lasting spiritual restoration.
Related Bible Verses
1. Nehemiah 4:6–13 (NIV)
6 So we rebuilt the wall till all of it reached half its height, for the people worked with all their heart.
7 But when Sanballat, Tobiah, the Arabs, the Ammonites and the people of Ashdod heard that the repairs to Jerusalem’s walls had gone ahead and that the gaps were being closed, they were very angry.
8 They all plotted together to come and fight against Jerusalem and stir up trouble against it.
9 But we prayed to our God and posted a guard day and night to meet this threat.
10 Meanwhile, the people in Judah said, “The strength of the laborers is giving out, and there is so much rubble that we cannot rebuild the wall.”
11 Also our enemies said, “Before they know it or see us, we will be right there among them and will kill them and put an end to the work.”
12 Then the Jews who lived near them came and told us ten times over, “Wherever you turn, they will attack us.”
13 Therefore I stationed some of the people behind the lowest points of the wall at the exposed places, posting them by families, with their swords, spears and bows.
https://www.bible.com/bible/111/NEH.4.6-13.NIV
2. Nehemiah 1:3–4 (NIV)
3 They said to me, “Those who survived the exile and are back in the province are in great trouble and disgrace. The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates have been burned with fire.”
4 When I heard these things, I sat down and wept. For some days I mourned and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven.
https://www.bible.com/bible/111/NEH.1.3-4.NIV
3. Matthew 7:24–25 (NIV)
24 “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.
25 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock.
https://www.bible.com/bible/111/MAT.7.24-25.NIV
4. Psalm 127:1–5 (NIV)
1 Unless the Lord builds the house, the builders labour in vain.
Unless the Lord watches over the city, the guards stand watch in vain.
2 In vain you rise early and stay up late, toiling for food to eat—
for he grants sleep to those he loves.
3 Children are a heritage from the Lord, offspring a reward from him.
4 Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are children born in one’s youth.
5 Blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them.
They will not be put to shame when they contend with their opponents in court.
https://www.bible.com/bible/111/PSA.127.1-5.NIV
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Purpose in Brokenness
Life can break us. Pain, loss, and disappointment can make us feel like the walls we've built to protect ourselves have burned down, leaving us exposed and ready to give up. But God doesn't leave us alone in our brokenness. Just as Nehemiah led the rebuilding of Jerusalem's walls, God can help us rebuild our lives even when they feel buried under past hurts.
How Does God Rebuild the Walls in Our Lives?
When we face broken walls in our lives—whether in relationships, faith, mental health, or purpose—how do we respond? Nehemiah shows us a powerful example of responding with heart and confidence in the Lord.
The Foundation Starts with God
Jesus must be at the center of your life—not just part of it, but at the center of everything. You can't build lasting walls without God's presence as your foundation.
Think about building a house. You can't just show up to a piece of land and start putting frames together. You need a foundation—a concrete slab that's leveled, smooth, and properly dimensioned. Why? So when storms come, it doesn't shift.
"Therefore, everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on a rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, yet it did not fall because it had its foundation on rock." (Matthew 7:24-25)
Prayer is essential to this foundation. When threats came, Nehemiah didn't panic—he prayed. In Nehemiah 1, before a single brick was laid, he "sat down and wept for some days. I mourned and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven."
What is your foundation built on? If it's built on treasures of this world, pride, or arrogance, it won't last. But if it's built on prayer, love, grace, forgiveness, and second chances, it's solid as a rock.
Everyone Has a Purpose
God doesn't need perfect people—He needs willing ones. Nehemiah didn't select people based on their spiritual maturity or Bible knowledge. He grouped anyone and everyone who was willing and had the same foundation in Christ.
When threats came and the workers grew tired, Nehemiah responded strategically: "Therefore I stationed some of the people behind the lowest points of the wall at the exposed places, posting them by families with their swords, spears and bows" (Nehemiah 4:13).
The "lowest points" represent our struggles and brokenness—those moments when we're on the edge, about to tip over. That's when we need to stand firm and realize we have a purpose and calling.
Nehemiah didn't call on a professional army—he called on families.
Ordinary people with different roles, personalities, and skills. Every hand mattered, every voice counted. They stood side by side at their assigned spots, building the same wall for the same purpose.There's something powerful about your church family. When we position ourselves together with others, we find strength. God doesn't position you just with people you like or people who look like you—He positions you where you need to be.
Fight for the Generations
When families fought for the exposed places, they weren't just fighting for today—they were fighting for the future. What you rebuild today becomes the covering for tomorrow. The prayers you pray now become the protection your children will walk under.
"And as I looked over the situation, I called together the nobles and the rest of the people and said to them, 'Don't be afraid of the enemy. Remember the Lord, who is great and glorious, and fight for your brothers, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your homes.'" (Nehemiah 4:14)
Remember the Lord. The Hebrew word for "remember" (zakar) means more than just bringing something to mind—it means to take action based on that memory. Your children and future generations will remember the walls God built through you, and they will build their own walls for the future.
Your legacy isn't what you leave behind—it's what you build in others. This church is approaching 40 years of ministry. The people who planted it had a strong foundation in the Lord, each had a purpose, and they built brick by brick so we could have this place today.
Psalm 78:3-4 says: "Stories we have heard and known, stories our ancestors handed down to us. We will not hide these truths from our children. We will tell the next generation about the glorious deeds of the Lord, about his power and his mighty wonders."
Life Application
What kind of walls are you building in your life and for the next generation? Are you laying down bricks of faith or fear? Are you preparing your family to fight the right battles?Here are some questions to reflect on this week:
What is my foundation built on? Is Jesus truly at the center of my life, or just a part of it? Is prayer my first response to challenges, or do I panic?
Am I fulfilling my God-given purpose? Where has God positioned me, and am I serving faithfully in that place? How am I using my unique gifts to contribute to God's larger mission?
How am I fighting for future generations? What spiritual legacy am I building? Am I telling the next generation about God's faithfulness in my life?
Where are the "lowest points" in my walls right now? What areas of brokenness need God's restoration? Who can I invite to stand with me in these vulnerable places?
Remember: "Unless the Lord builds a house, the work of the builders is wasted" (Psalm 127:1). You don't have to rebuild alone. God is your foundation, you have a purpose, and He has placed people around you to help fight for a better future.
This week, identify one broken wall in your life and take a step toward rebuilding it with God's help. Invite someone else to stand with you in that process, and remember that what you're building isn't just for today—it's for generations to come
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A discussion guide for the sermon can be found here.
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We're speaking from the book of Nehemiah, chapter 4, verses 6 to 13. When the. Before I get into the passage, I just want to bring a bit of.
A bit of context. Actually before that, I just saw her. Is anyone here have any birthdays? Who's had a birthday? Put up your hand nice and big so I can see Harry.
Happy birthday, brother. There's someone else that's struggling to put her hand up. Happy birthday, Malia.
Malia is actually my sister and she's probably saying right now, man, that guy is so annoying and all that, but that's what younger siblings are for. Amen. Nehemiah served Nehemiah. Now, Nehemiah was a cupbearer for the Persian king. And the job of a cupbearer was to pretty much drink the wine in a way.
So there was no poison before it got to the king. Right. So when. I'm not going to go into all the details, but when Neh Nehemiah, word gets to Nehemiah that the walls of Jerusalem are destroyed, they're burnt to rubble, he responds, he responds in such a powerful way, in such a way that has great purpose, great honour, stability, grounded, firm. And he goes there and he starts building the wall.
And I'm going to be reading from verses six where they've pretty much built half of the wall and it says this. So we rebuilt the wall till all of it reached half its height, for the people worked with all their heart. But when Sanballat, Tobiah, the Arabs and Ammonites and the people of Ashdod heard that the repairs to Jerusalem's walls had gone ahead and that the gaps were being closed, they were very angry. They all plotted together to come and fight against Jerusalem and stir up trouble against them. But we prayed to our God and posted a guard day and night to meet this threat.
Meanwhile, the people in Judah said, the strength of the laborers is giving up, and there is so much rubble that we cannot rebuild the wall. Also, our enemies said, before they know it will see us. We will be right there among them, and we'll kill them and put an end to the work. Then the Jews who lived near, they came and told us 10 times over, wherever you turn, they will attack us. Therefore, I stationed some of the people behind the lowest points of the wall, at the exposed places, posted them by families with their swords, spears and bows.
Who's here? The Story of Nehemiah. Title my message.
We build the ruins, right? The theme of building walls and life can break us. Amen. Things in our lives, many of you here now, and something is at their breaking point through pain, loss, disappointment. It can feel like the walls that we've built to protect us, keep us safe, have all burnt down, leaving us feeling weak, exposed, and we feel like giving up, not trying at all.
These wars can be things like our relationships, our faith, our mental health, our purpose.
But God doesn't leave us alone in our brokenness. Amen. He can take the pieces of our broken lives and start building something new, just like the walls of Jerusalem, where they were rebuilt after being destroyed. God can help us rebuild our lives even when they feel buried under past hurts and struggles.
How do we respond to the broken walls in our lives, into the situations in our lives? Nehemiah responds with such hearts and confidence in the Lord and his relationship with the father, he doesn't respond like my two daughters, Ayla and Arya. They're next door. They can't hear me. Ayla is nine.
Oh, there's one there.
There she is. You're gonna see why she's here, right? And my daughters are like, as you know, I've got a third one coming in August, and House of Queens. I call it House of Queens. I'm just a humble servant, guys.
That's all I am. I'm a lowly servant. Here I am. I'm like Samuel, right? Here I am.
Your servant is listening. Right? That's me, right?
My wife's going, yeah, kids, they love building these cubby houses, right? Cubby houses, fortresses. Who remember those, even as a kid. You remember them? Yeah.
You grab mom's mattress and you put it up here and Dad's, whatever, and you put it there and you just build whatever you want, right? Who remembers those days? What happens when it falls apart?
Well, if you're my two daughters, this is how they. This is how they react. Ayla. Something falls apart and she's put everything into it. All her heart, all her effort falls apart and she weeps.
I just can't do it, dad. Can't. I don't. I don't have it in me. I don't have enough in you.
I give up. I can't. I can't keep building this cubby house. Right? That's her reaction.
That's how she reacts. The one that's sitting over here that's trying to hide from me. I've had enough. Not doing this ever again. I'm not doing the cubby house.
I'm not doing drawing, I'm not doing colouring in. I try and color in and my hand doesn't work. The pen doesn't work. Nothing works. It's everyone's fault.
See how very different they are?
But you know the truth, Church. That's you and I, Isn't that you and I. When things get tough, doesn't go your way. You've worked your whole life for a dream, for a business, for whatever it may be, a relationship, a marriage and an offer to what to break down. And what is our response?
What is our reaction? Giving up? Had enough? I'm not good enough. I'm not worthy enough.
Can I tell you this, Church? God's heart and desire is to restore, to rebuild, to strengthen.
He wants to rebuild the ruins in your life. He wants you to have what he has for you. A purpose, a dream, a vision. Do you believe that for yourself?
Your hard times are brokenness. There are opportunities for restoration. Don't give up. Trust in God's plan. Watch him do something great.
Don't lose hope. Take heart. God is working to rebuild it in our families, in our faith and our future. So the question is, how does God rebuild the walls in our life? Here's the first thing.
And I believe it's the most important thing. And the first thing is the foundation starts with God. That is the very first thing. Jesus Christ. At the center of your life?
Not just at the center of. Part of my Life. Not just at the center of the 10 o' clock service center of your life through everything. The good, the bad, the ugly. And your kids and your uncles and your aunties and your sons and your daughters.
You can't build lasting walls without God's presence at the center. Just like building a house. Put your hands up if you're a builder. Chippy. No one.
Just me.
Yeah, you need what? You can't just. You can't just turn up to a piece of land and start putting the frames together. What does it need? Foundation, slab, concrete slab.
Leveled, smooth dimensions. Right strategy. And what goes up frames lasts. Why is that? So when the storms come, it doesn't shift.
When things come your way, you don't move. The foundation doesn't shift when life gets overwhelming. The foundation is not strategy. It's a spirit. It's God's presence is what turns broken bricks into strong foundations.
Verse 9. So they're building. They're building the wall.
But we prayed to our God and posted a guard day and night to meet the threat. They prayed. They pray.
One of the greatest parts of a foundation and a start of a foundation is prayer. When things come your way and it's not working out and when your walls are starting to break, is prayer the first thing you do?
Or is it panic?
When threats came, Nehemiah didn't panic. He prayed. They prayed before the war went up. Prayer went up before Saul was lifted. His heart was lifted towards God's direction.
You know what that means? I wrote this down, pondering. You know what it means? We're going to go back to chapter one.
Chapter one. Before the war even went up.
That's what it says. Those who survived exile and are back in the province are in great trouble and disgrace. The wall of Jerusalem is broken down and its gates have been buried with fire. When I heard these things, I sat down and wept for some days. I mourned and fasted and prayed before God of heaven.
That's the example of someone whose foundation as solid as a rock in Christ. He didn't react like Eleonaria. He didn't react in panic. He didn't crumble in the corner and start weeping away. What did he do?
He wept. He fasted, he prayed long before a single brick went up. Foundation. What is your foundation built on? Church.
If it's built on treasures of this world, it won't last.
If it's built on pride and arrogance and that I know it all and I'm the most knowledgeable one, it won't last.
If it's built on. I know more of the Bible than you. It won't last. But if it's built on prayer, on love, on grace, on forgiveness, on second chances, on my brother, my sister in Christ, my refuge, my firm foundation. But if it's built on that, it's solid, as solid as a rock.
Jesus puts it this way in Matthew 7 Matthew 7:24. Therefore, everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on a rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, yet it did not fall because it had its foundation on rock.
What is your foundation built on? Church. What are the areas in your life where the foundation suddenly give way? What are those areas that really need the spirit of the Lord in.
Is prayer your first response?
That's the first thing that God does here. When he's helping you, supporting you, when he's loving you, he's there with you after you build your walls back up. As a foundation is the very first thing. The second thing is everyone has a purpose. Do you believe that?
Do you believe you have a purpose? Do you believe you have a purpose?
First thing is to have a voice.
God doesn't need perfect people. Willing ones, he needs. God doesn't need people that are on this spiritual level like Pastor Trevor and the rest of us are somewhere near.
He doesn't need the ones that know everything about everything. He doesn't need the ones of position and titles. Doesn't need a pulpit, doesn't need a stage, doesn't need any of this, even a microphone. Willing ones. Willing ones.
You know, Nehemiah didn't go, hey, listen, let's just separate, you guys. Let's just see who we got here. All right, what do we got? Okay, you guys are still reading your devotion, so you can go there, you guys, on the Old Testament. Okay, I'll bring you guys here.
You guys have done Old and New Testament, all right, let's rank you guys up here and stuff like that. No, he doesn't. He groups anyone and everyone that was willing that had the same foundation that he has in the call of Jesus Christ. He wasn't picky about it. He didn't have a whole army.
He had just ordinary people like you and me.
So as they're building the wall, the threats start to come, right? This is the moment. This is the heated moment. The threat's coming. Verse 10.
Meanwhile, the people in Judah said, the strength of the laborers is giving out. They're starting to get a bit tired physically, emotionally, spiritually. Therefore, there's so much rubble that we cannot rebuild the wall. Isn't that you and I, we respond sometimes in our lives. Overwhelmed.
There's so much here, man, I don't even know where to start. There's so much happening in my life also. Our enemy said, before they know it or see us, we will be right there among them and will kill them and put an end to the work. Then the Jews who lived near came and told us 10 times over, wherever you turn, they will attack us. That's a threat to Nehemiah and his people, right?
But what I love about Nehemiah is his response. His response, not his reaction. His response. In verse 13, he says, Therefore. See?
Notice that he starts with that, therefore, as to say, because you have done that, I'm going to do this. I stationed some of the people behind the lowest points of the wall at the exposed places. Posted them by families with their swords, spears and bows. Posted them by families. So basically what happened is the war here.
And each family was in charge of a specific section. They would have a trumpet player not to play songs, but the trumpet player would be the alarm they will sound off. The guy will play the woman, play the trumpet. So everyone would know where the threat is. The lowest points.
Nehemiah positions people and families at the lowest points of the gate. The lowest points there represents. That's the moment there in the gate where it's easy to target if they were going to get attacked. That's where it is for you and I. That's our lowest point.
Our struggles, our brokenness, when we're just on the edge, when we're just about to tip over.
That's when we stand firm. That's when we realize, hold on, I have a purpose. I have a call on my life.
And sometimes you're in that season because God's building a wall, a new wall for you, a fresh wall. Something to look forward to.
He didn't call on professional army, call on families. Ordinary people with different roles, personalities and skills. Every hand mattered, every voice counted. They stood side by side, each of their assigned spots, building the same wall for the same purpose. Families who share the same purpose.
Here's the thing about families, right? We love our families. Amen. Do you love your family? Yeah.
We all do.
But sometimes these guys are laughing already and haven't even got to it. Sometimes our immediate family are not as close than our Christ families. You know what I mean? There's something powerful about your church family, right there's. Something.
It's built different, it's wired different and things like that, you know. And I have a decent sized family in that. Others, you know, Alex would call it an army. So it's not an army. It's like there's medium army, right?
Medium.
Not all saved, just my sister and I.
But we realized something, that if all our attention was put on them and seen and pushing this idea and giving them Jesus 24:7 and going, you need Jesus, you need this, you need that, you need that. You know what happens? You start to lose sight of your own purpose.
Does it kind of make sense? You start to lose sight of it because God's coming in. He was going to. I never told you to say that. That's my job.
You can change nothing. Only I can. But what I want you to do is stick to your purpose. What is your purpose? What is the purpose I've given you in this place right now, when you're reflecting on your own life?
What is your purpose? If I were to walk around right now and ask any one of you, could you answer confidently, what is my purpose?
I read this quote. This quote says this. There is a purpose for everyone you meet. Some people come into your life to test you, some to teach you, some to use you, and some to bring up the very best in you. You know, when I read that, I started thinking about it and going, isn't that your church family?
Isn't that people next to you? Isn't that your family? People that challenge you, people that love you, right? Bring the best out of you. They want to see great things for you.
My best friend growing up, his name was Logan. And we were very young. He's a young. He's not young now, but we were young, right? And originally from England, He's a scrawny little white fella.
He loved heavy metal and that, motorbikes and fast cars, right? That's him. And one day he comes to me and we haven't spoken. He comes to me and he goes, oh, hey, bro, can I be your.
Now, I could have easily said yes, and that would have just, yeah, moved on. But I said to him, hey, listen, we have to. In order for you to be my friend, we have to go through a cultural activity, all right? Cultural activity. He goes, oh, what's that?
Keep in mind church. He's not a rugby player. So I said to him, hey, listen, brother, this is a rugby ball. You go stand there and then you run and then I'm going to try and tackle you right now. If you can run over me, then we can be friends.
So you go, stands here, he runs it, he runs it up. I put in 20%. Not much for us rugby players. Not much, right? It's a quick one.
Bang. Yep. Cool. He gets up, it's not bad. Next one, we go 40%.
He comes running, I give him 40%. He starts to feel it, goes back, runs again. 60%. He's hurting. He's actually hurting.
I thought to myself, you know what, let's go 80%, just see what happens. He comes running, 80%, he's out.
I thought that was it. He turns around, he goes back and he goes one more time, right? One more time. He runs it and he runs right over me. Full bore.
He runs right over me. This young kid who knows nothing about my culture, nor does he care. This kid that never grown up the way I've grown up. Yet through our relationship, yet through that one encounter there, we were brothers. The amazing things.
30 plus odd years, I still keep in contact with him.
There is power when you are positioned together with others.
When he stations families, that's the person next to you. When he positions you, he doesn't position you with the people that you like. Doesn't position you with the people of the same color as you. He doesn't position you, just position you.
You know, it's funny. I preached this message last night, right? And Alex knows this, right? If I say a word, and I keep on saying, it ends up turning into something else. So I've got to be quick to go.
Yep. Position.
Ah. Church is your purpose, fulfilling God's will.
Have you found purpose in your lowest point?
Are you stepping out into where God's positioned you?
God equips each of us with different gifts and purposes, but all of them contribute to his larger mission. Every person has a role to play in building God's kingdom.
Whether you're a parent, teacher, friend or leader, we need each other to complete the task he has for us. Amen. Church. We need each other. Every single one of you has a purpose, regardless.
Connected one another. Strong. Strong. To hold the line. To build each other up, to encourage one another.
Right? When you see others and their wars are not so strong, you know I'll challenge you and go, well, what are you doing then? How are you helping them? You've been an example to them. Be there for one another.
Church. First thing, foundation, solid as a rock. Jesus Christ. Center. Second thing, everyone has a purpose.
Everyone has a purpose. And here's the third thing.
Fight for the generations. Who likes to Fight. Raise your hands up. No one. Oh, you guys are really good, aren't you?
We all fight, but just not in the way you're thinking. Every single one of us fight spiritually. Amen. Do you intercede for someone else? Do you step in the gap for someone else?
Do you pray for someone else? Yeah. Do you lay hands for someone else? Do you believe for greatness in someone else? Do you speak life in someone else?
You're fighting for the next generation.
When families fought for the exposed places, they weren't just fighting for today, they were fighting for the future. Church, you're not just rebuilding yourself, you're rebuilding for your children and their children. What you rebuild today becomes the covering for tomorrow. The prayers you pray now become the protection your kids to walk under the word you speak into your home becomes the war that holds through every storm. That's the what are you building into the next generation?
In verse 14, it says this.
And as I looked over the situation, I called together the nobles and the rest of the people and said to them, don't be afraid of the enemy. Remember the Lord who was great and glorious and fight for your brothers, your sons, your daughters, your wives and your homes.
Remember the Lord.
Haven't we had amazing encounters of God in our past? Hey, Church, when he's moved in our lives, do you remember them? Do you remember when he came when no one else did? Remember when he was there when you were weeping? Remember when he opened doors when you thought they were all closed?
My challenge to that is, what are you doing with that memory?
Here's the thing about memory. Remembering things for you and I, we remember something and it's up here, stays up here. Interesting fact, Church, the Hebrew word for remember or memory is saka, which means more than just bringing something to mind. To saka is to use your hands, your feet, your lips, or whatever is required to bring action to our memory. To saka.
Right. Your children and many generations will remember the walls God built through you. They will take that and run with it and build their own walls for the future. So the thing is, it's not just the memory, it's the action attached to it. So when you remember God moving in your life, you start to look at it and go, well, what do I do with this?
What do I do for the next generation? What do I do for my kids?
Your legacy isn't what you leave behind, it's what you build in others.
You know this church is 40 years next year. Can you believe that? Jenny, how long you been here? Jenny? And old mate over there has been here 36, 36 years.
Shiva has been rapping for 36 years on the stage.
36 years. 40 years. And the reason why I bring this up, close to 40 years ago, there was a group of people. We had a strong foundation in the Lord, right? And every single one of them had a purpose.
They prayed, they wept. They seek the Lord. They had each other. They were family. And they planted this church brick by brick.
When you drive in here, you look at the bricks, right? And you can see the mold of it, right? You can see it every time I drive in here and I look at it and I go, man, look what they did so we can have this.
Look at the moments of weeping and praying to the Lord they did back then so we could have this. And I started thinking about it going, wow, 40 years. And then, as you know, our senior pastor Adrian has spoken to you about plans to extend this building. I can tell you now, it's not because we're bored.
His heart.
His heart is to leave something, is to build into the next generation. So 40 years from now, your kids, my kids and their kids will be flourishing in this. And they will tell stories of how 80 years ago, it was a small group of people that put up these bricks for the very first time. Remember. Remember a memory.
Saka. Action.
They weren't just remembering what faithful people did. They're putting it to action. Our senior pastor puts that to action.
Psalm 783. Stories we have heard and known, stories our ancestors handed down to us. We will not hide these truths from our children. We will tell the next generation about the glorious deeds of the Lord, about his power and his mighty wonders. What are you building into the next generation?
You see it. You see it in the world we live in. You see it on socials. You see it all over the news. And that if there was ever a time to fight for the next generation is now, isn't it?
To intercede, to pray. I'm not saying leave the service and go start buying swords and bows and protect your home. Because Pastor fool said, protect my home. It's not the fighting I'm talking about. I'm talking about the real fight that matters.
It's not a physical thing. It's in here. It's in your heart. Take heart. Hold strong.
Hold strong. When the walls collapse, hold strong. The Lord positions you there for a purpose, Stationed you there for a purpose. You're not there by accident. You're not there because of your achievements in your life.
You're There, because you see someone that's willing, willing and able.
What kind of walls are you building for the next generation?
Are you laying down bricks of faith or fear?
Are you preparing your family to fight the right battles?
Here's the thing about Nehemiah.
Strong foundation. Knew his patience, purpose. How do we know that? Didn't panic. Didn't panic under pressure.
Didn't hesitate. Didn't question it. He heard about the wars in Jerusalem. He prayed, he wept. He gave it to God.
Pathway opened. Here I am. Threats came. He positioned himself and others around him together as a family.
Christ's family, brothers and sisters, and he builds for the next generation.
And some of you here, some of you here know this all too well. And you got flourishing walls all over the place in your life, and it's going great. I want to ask you this, what are you doing with that?
You're living comfortably in within your walls of refuge, or you reaching out to someone else and say, hey, brother, sister, let me help you. I've been there. I remember when I was there. Saka extra, let me help you.
God is your foundation.
Each and every one of you have a purpose. Fight for the next generation.
Fathers, if you're a father here, it's okay to smile.
I'll say this to you. You don't always have to be the man of the house, you know. There's already a man of the house in your home. His name is Jesus Christ. Find them anywhere.
Mothers, carry your kids. Washing basket. Everything else you can carry.
You don't need to carry those things. You don't need to carry your burdens. It's a right to let someone else carry them. For once, it's a right to let someone else carry them.
Sons and daughters, young people, keep wisdom close.
Keep those of wisdom closer.
Step out of your comfort zone. Speak to someone twice your age and ask them, what did it feel like when God impacted your life?
Psalms 1:27.
Unless the Lord builds a house, the work of the builders is wasted. Unless the Lord protects the city, guarding it with centuries would do no good. It is useless for you to work so hard from early morning until late at night, anxiously working for food to eat. For God gives rest to his loved ones. Children are a gift from the Lord.
They are a reward from Him. Children born to a young man are like arrows in a warrior's hands. How joyful is the man whose quiver is full of them. He would not be put to shame when he confronts his accusers at the city gates.
Man, I don't know about you, Man. But the first time I read that, doesn't it just hit home? Hit home on who you're supposed to be, who you're called to be.
You call to impact.
I wish I could say that church was just meet here on a 10 o' clock and see it later at 11:30. You are the church.
He wants to build your walls, your foundation.
He wants to use those around you. You're not in it by yourself. Everyone has a purpose and fight for the generations.
So here's what we're going to do, Church. We're going to believe in this.
We're going to have a moment to just step into the presence of God right now, to believe in something greater. And maybe you're here right now and you're going. My foundation hasn't been where it is. I haven't being here.
Can I encourage you come forward for prayer. Let it out. Leave it at the feet of the altar man and just go, here I am.
Why don't we stand? Why don't we stand?
Lead me on Lead me on Please lead me on Ignore me I'm leading on Lead me on oh Jesus he's leading me Lead me on Leave me on Leave me on Please leave me on it's not me I'm leaning on Leave me on oh Jesus, keep leading me Lead me on Lead me on Lead me on Please lead me on not me I'm leading on Lead me on oh Jesus oh praise the name of the Lord our God oh praise his name forever Sing it out. Sing it out.
Endless days we will sing your praise oh Lord oh Lord, our God Sing it out Church. Sing this out. Oh praise yes, yes.
Why do we sing this after I sing this out? Oh praise the name of the Lord our God, his name forever more for in this day we will sing our praise oh Lord, oh Lord, our God O Lord, O Lord Every eye closed right now. Father, I pray that you will continue to move in their lives, Lord, your people, that you will continue to be the foundation in their lives. Lord. You will give them purpose.
Whatever they put their hands to, you would empower them. That their lives matter, their voices matter, their words matter. Lord. I pray, Lord God, that they will continue to step in the gap, to intercede, to fight for the next generation, to see others rise up. Father and Lord God, we just thank you.
We just thank you, Lord that you are king of kings Lord, that you are Lord of lords. Lord God, who are we? Lord, you are glorious. You're glorious. Heavenly Father, what are we giving?
Praise. What are we giving praise church. Amen. Amen. Amen.
As good as that. Thank you very much, family, for coming out. See you next week at baptism. Enjoy the day. I'll see you.
Morning tea. Thanks, Sam.