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Sermon Notes

Gates That Matter

Sunday 29 July 2018 Pastor Craig Ledbetter Nehemiah 3
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I. Introduction

A. Nehemiah is a book about REBUILDING things

Fixing things. Mending things. Repairing, Restoring things - not leaving things as they are.

  1. Which is exactly what is needed today!
  2. Bible believing Christians do not just look on, as the world tears itself apart - we get busy doing something to slow it down and fix those who have been broken by it!

B. We are looking way back at about 445 years Before the birth of Christ - that’s 2,462 years ago!

C. What was wrong with the city of Jerusalem?

  1. Heaps and piles of rubbish everywhere throughout the city streets (Nehemiah 4:2)
  2. These were OLD wastes - they had been there for a long time - almost 160 years!
  3. This was the Result of a load of SIN on the part of God’s people (2 Chronicles 36:11-21)
  4. 3km of 15 foot thick walls that were broken through, and thrown down and piled up into heaps of burnt stones
  5. Sounds like something so far removed from our “normal” life now, BUT…

D. So many things are broken TODAY!

  1. MARRIAGE is broken - been that way for a very long time
  2. People’s MINDS are broken - unable to sleep, forgive, reason and think through their problems
  3. People’s TRUST is constantly broken - no one takes responsibility anymore for ANYTHING! Always blaming others!
  4. People’s HEARTS are broken - haven’t been happy for so many years
  5. People’s FAITH is broken - trusting in themselves, and in religious icons, and priests and prayers, and fairies, and angels. Only to be constantly let down!
  6. Society is broken - believing that abortion is a good thing, and that no one should have to work! BROKEN!
  7. EVERY ONE OF THESE ARE REPAIRABLE - REBUILDABLE! God’s way!

II. Review

A. Since the first Sunday in January, we have worked verse by verse through Nehemiah up until chapter 7, verse 1.

B. What Was Everybody Rebuilding? Three Things…

  1. They were repairing a long winding protective Wall around Jerusalem
  2. They were repairing Ten Main Gates into and out of the city
  3. And Ultimately, they were rebuilding their Nation

C. There was more to those walls and gates than just brick and wood

“Violence shall no more be heard in thy land, wasting nor destruction within thy borders; but thou shalt call thy walls Salvation, and thy gates Praise.” - Isaiah 60:18

D. What was so important about Walls and Gates?

  1. They control what comes in and goes out
  2. Every HOME has WALLS, and GATES
    • Walls, doors, windows, fences
    • Why do we think that just because modern cities don’t have walls anymore, that we don’t need walls still?
    • Don’t let the world talk you into just letting anything and everything into your home and heart and lives in the name of diversity and open mindedness!
    • The TV and internet have been THE greatest invader of the home in history!
  3. Every BODY has walls and gates
    • Your SKIN is a wall, backed up by both bone and muscle
    • Your body has basically 5 gates in and out of your body:
      • Ear Gate
      • Eye Gate
      • Nose Gate
      • Mouth Gate
      • Refuse Gate
      • And a Reproductive Gate
    • When these gates don’t work, and crumble under attack (from germs, or abuse) you become crippled, or YOU DIE!
  4. THESE TEN GATES KEPT THINGS DECENT, AND ORDERLY in Jerusalem

III. The Gates of Jerusalem

A. The Sheep Gate (3:1)

  1. Where the sheep for sacrifice entered
  2. Represents worship and coming to God through sacrifice
  3. Jesus is the Lamb of God - we enter through Him

B. The Fish Gate (3:3)

  1. Represents evangelism - “fishers of men”
  2. Is your life bringing others to Christ?

C. The Old Gate (3:6)

  1. The ancient, established ways
  2. Don’t abandon the old paths of Scripture

D. The Valley Gate (3:13)

  1. Leads down into the valley
  2. Represents humility and the low times of life

E. The Dung Gate (3:14)

  1. Where refuse was taken out
  2. Some things need to be thrown out of your life

F. The Fountain Gate (3:15)

  1. Near the water source
  2. Represents refreshment from God’s Spirit

G. The Water Gate (3:26)

  1. Represents the Word of God
  2. Interestingly, no repairs were needed here!

H. The Horse Gate (3:28)

  1. Where the war horses entered
  2. Represents spiritual battle

I. The East Gate (3:29)

  1. Faces the rising sun
  2. Represents the coming of the Lord

J. The Miphkad Gate (3:31)

  1. The inspection or judgment gate
  2. We will all stand before God one day

IV. Application

  1. Which gates in your life need rebuilding?
  2. What are you letting IN that shouldn’t come in?
  3. What are you letting OUT that should stay in?
  4. Is your home protected by strong walls and guarded gates?
  5. Are you guarding your ear gate, eye gate, and mouth gate?

The gates matter! They determine what enters your life and what leaves it. Rebuild the broken gates. Guard them carefully. Your spiritual health depends on it.

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