"At Your Front Door"

Preached by Rev. Ed Brouwer at The Gathering Place
Pulpit Series Volume 17 Issue 32 8/05/2007

While in Penticton last week, I drove past a church sign.
Although I had read it before, it struck me different this time. It read: “High Energy Contemporary Service 9:30 - Classic Service 10:45”. Folks I was embarrassed and blushed to think that we’ve become so self centered. Our services are to be about God, not us! It is about what pleases Him not me!

As we said last week, it should all be about reflecting Jesus to a lost and hurting world. Folks, perhaps we have been praying for a revival but for all the wrong reasons. Do you really think that God’s Son would even consider not going to the Synagogue because the praise and worship wasn’t “high energy” or that He would ask where the hymn books were? He went there to praise and glorify His Heavenly Father.

Our self interests, our compromises have distorted what a true revival is. True revival occurs when the walls and gates guarding God's House are restored. Those walls include the doors of every Christian home. Let me explain.

When Nehemiah and 43,000 other Jewish patriots returned to Jerusalem, they found the city lying in total ruin. The walls were torn down and the gates removed, so the inhabitants had no protection from their enemies.

These enemies had been given total dominion by Israel's disobedience to God's Word. Nehemiah wrote, “Because of our sins: our enemies have dominion over our bodies and over our cattle, we are in great distress.” Nehemiah 9:37

Could iniquity in God's house be spreading poison throughout the body of Christ. I believe our compromises has brought down the protective gates leaving us open to Satan's power.

Nehemiah represents God's plan of restoration. He knew there had to be a protective wall of truth around God's people.

Now, Nehemiah didn’t strut into the wall-less city calling for a revival of supernatural manifestations? No Way!

The only manifestations seen after Nehemiah's arrival were men and women with picks and shovels in their hands.

They were doing the hard work of rebuilding the city's walls and restoring its gates. And Nehemiah led it all.

Restoration began the moment Nehemiah took on the Lord's burden over the ruin in His house. What exactly is your burden?

What Nehemiah did next should be an indication as to what we should do. “It came to pass, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned certain days and fasted, and prayed before the God of heaven.” verse 4

This is the beginning of true revival - when Godly people like Nehemiah take on the Lord's burden for His church in a lost world, by fasting, praying and pleading with God to begin the rebuilding of the walls and gates of protection. Then, they need to appoint to every house, gatekeepers and watchmen.

Walls and gates are no good without gatekeepers who know who can or can't be allowed in.

These gatekeepers were not strictly priests. They were laypeople - musicians, porters and people from all walks of life.
And they were instructed: “Let not the gates of Jerusalem be opened until the sun be hot; and while they stand by, let them shut the doors and bar them.” verse 3

God was saying, “My house is going to be a place of light, with no darkness allowed in”.

As gatekeepers, we are to guard the doors of God's house in humility - through fasting, prayer and loving concern.

Nehemiah Said, “Appoint Watches of the Inhabitants of Jerusalem, Every One in His Watch, and Every One to Be Over Against His House.” Nehemiah 7:3

According to Nehemiah, guardians were to be appointed not just to the gates of the city, but to every home as well.

In short, the heads of every household were responsible for everything that came into their home.

God's message here is crystal clear: Fathers and mothers, you are charged to guard your home from every demonic enemy that tries to enter. This means you are responsible for every book, every record, every friend your child brings through the door. You are also responsible for every influence within your home, whether it's TV, videos, Internet or people.

Only through daily submission to God’s will, we have power against Satan as guardians over our homes.
“Submit yourselves to God, resist the devil and he shall flee from you.”

I want to encourage all single parents: God knows your struggle to be both a father and a mother to your children. Yet His charge to you remains the same: You are the appointed guardian over your house.

The Lord promises to provide all grace and strength to you, if you’ll stand up for His word.

One day we're all going to stand before the judgment seat and answer to the Lord for how we raised our children. None of us will be able to offer excuses or blame anyone else.

We must ask ourselves;
Have we brought up our children in the fear and admonition of the Lord?

Have we modeled for them a life of love and reverence for God?

Are you a parent who hurts because your grown son or daughter no longer serves the Lord.

Are you heartbroken because your youngster is hooked on drugs or alcohol.

Have you seen your once-tender child grow bitter, hard and lost.

You can make up in prayer today what you might have missed in past years.
You can still bathe your loved one in prayer and call down Holy Ghost conviction on him/her to bring them to the cross.

I must warn you, however - if your kids are backslidden or unsaved, you must not preach at them. Simply pray for them.
You can't nag anyone into the kingdom of heaven.

There is no real power in raising your voice, because all power rests with the Holy Spirit.

Be empowered by your respect for God's word.

When someone walks through your front door, they should sense God's authority in your home right away, without a word being mentioned.

Scripture makes it very clear that if you raise your children on the authority of God's Word, they won't depart from that training in their later years. They may veer away from it for a while, even for years - but ultimately it will bring them back to truth.

The Bible offers a word of hope to all parents who grieve over a backslidden child.

These promises are for hungering, thirsting parents - who drink in God's Word daily, praying and asking the Spirit to pour out on them His power and His presence.

If this describes you, then plead God's promises. Claim them as yours and hold the Lord to them in your intercession.

Then bathe your family in prayer - and watch the enemy flee.