Nobleton Community Church

(God’s Way To Prosper Us
And Show Us How To Achieve Financial Excellence)

Scroll down past Sermon for more info

Nobleton Community Church
29084 Sentinel Street PO Box 224
Nobleton, Florida 34661

Rev. Paul V. Lehmann, Pastor
813-389-8683
Nobletoncommunitychurch.org
info@nobletoncommunitychurch.org

OUR VISION IS:
To experience SPIRIT-FILLED WORSHIP AND PRAYER
To be involved in EVANGELISM, DISCIPLINING AND TRAINING PEOPLE
To use our SPIRITUAL GIFTS
To SERVE AND REACH PEOPLE FOR CHRIST, BOTH
“ACROSS THE STREET AND ACROSS THE WORLD”

Nobleton Community Church
Date January 18, 2026
Text Malachi 3:5-8; Gen.14:18-20; Heb. 5;4-8; 6:20; 7:1-28
Pastor Paul Lehmann

Listen to live audio here

The difference between Worldly Prosperity and Godly Prosperity is: Worldly Prosperity means getting what you can for yourself (and your family), making money so that you will have more material goods for yourself and your family. This all includes being successful and gaining power to make more money. The world’s standard pushes us to make money in order to spend more money, and this, of course, helps our economy. Worldly Prosperity: The emphasis is on GETTING. (Along the way, we might give to charities, even the church, but even this involves the attitude of receiving a benefit in the form of a tax deduction.
On the other hand, Godly Prosperity means being In the center of God’s will so that you will be blessed or prosper. What you get to provide for you and your family is a blessing from God. When you prosper a lot, you can give more to the Kingdom. Kingdom principles (as part of God’s Prosperity), mean making money because God blesses it and it is needed for myself, my family, and the Kingdom. Being successful means receiving favor from God and man so that your margin of increase is greater for GIVING to the Kingdom (which means giving to the Lord Jesus Christ), not the church. In Godly Prosperity The emphasis, is on GIVING NOT GETTING.
The difference in the two perspectives is one of attitude, based on your understanding of God’s involvement with your finances. Even though we don’t give to the Lord, in order to get from Him, he teaches in His Word that you reap what you sow, and that we should expect a harvest. It might not always be a material or financial “reward” for giving, it may sometimes be spiritual.
This morning as we are now in a new year we want to talk about; : Financial Excellence, by looking at and understanding that;
GOD’S WAY TO PROPER US IS—-THE TITHE
For some, talking about the tithe, or tithing, is a touchy subject. just doesn’t make sense that God would ask us to give ten percent of our income. God doesn’t need our money, does He?
A pastor asked a farmer, “Brother, if you had 10 cows, would you give 1 to the Lord?” I sure would the farmer replied. “Well, if you had 100 chickens, would you give 10 to the Lord? Sure, the farmer said. “Well, how about if you had 10 pigs, would you give 1 to the Lord?” “Aw, come on, pastor, cut that out, you know I have 10 pigs.” As long as the discussion is hypothetical, we don’t have a problem, but when it hits us where we have to do something about it, it is difficult.
God has ordained the tithe as our recognition of His lordship and our declaration that we have submitted our interest in this material world to Him. In our day, actually giving part of a crop, or fruit, or animals, is not the issue. It’s whether we “rob” God of what is rightfully His, just as much as the people Malachi was talking about in our text.
There are those in the body of Christ who argue that the tithe is not in the New Testament and that God’s people were told to give their 10% as part of THE LAW Christians are not required to tithe. These assumptions are actually incorrect. The fact is the practice of the tithe predates the Law and it is in the New Testament.
SO WE NEED TO CONSIDER IF THE TITHE IS FOR US TODAY
First, let’s look at the Old Testament. The word tithe simply means “a tenth”. It is a percentage of what we receive as “income, and we are commanded to tithe in Leviticus 27:30-34 and Deuteronomy 26:1-4. A tithe of everything from the land, whether grain from the soil or fruit from the trees, belongs to the Lord; it is holy to the Lord. If a man redeems any of his tithe, he must add a 5% of the value to it. The entire tithe of the herd and flock, every tenth animal that passes under the shepherd’s rod—will be holy to the Lord. He must not pick out the Good from the bad or make any substitution. If he does make a substitution, both the animal and its substitute become holy and cannot be redeemed.
Proverbs 3:9-10 tells us: “Honor the Lord with your wealth, with the first-fruits of all your crops; then your barns will be filled to overflowing.” We see in this scripture that is important to give “off the top” of our income (that is what the expression first-fruits means). Not after we have paid everything else, including taxes to the government, but “up front”. Don’t pay everything else and then give God “whatever is left.”
NOW CONSIDER AN IMPORTANT PRINCIPLE THAT JESUS TALKED ABOUT.
In Matthew 23:23-24, Jesus pointed out the error of the Pharisees in their keeping of the tithe. “Who to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices, mint, dill, and cumin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy, and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, WITHOUT NEGLECTING THE FORMER. “You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel.”
Where else do we see anything in the New Testament that helps us understand the tithe?
In Hebrews 6:20 (in the Amplified Version”… Jesus has entered in for us (in advance) a forerunner having become a High Priest forever after the order ( with the rank) of Melchizedek.”
Jesus’ present-day ministry is as our high priest. He is our mediator, our advocate, and our intercessor before God the Father. This passage says that Jesus is a high priest after the order of Melchizedek, not after the order of the priesthood of Aaron, which was under the Mosaic Law.
To better understand Jesus’ high priestly ministry, we need to know more about Melchizedek. The first mention of Melchizedek is in Genesis 14:18-20. “Then Melchizedek, king of Salem, brought out bread and wine. He was a priest of God Most High, and he blessed Abram, saying, ‘Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth. And blessed be God Most High, who delivered your enemies into your hand.’ “
Then Abram gave him a tenth of everything.
Abram (his name hadn’t yet been changed to Abraham), had just been victorious in battle and was returning with the spoils when he met Melchizedek. Upon meeting Melchizedek, Abraham acknowledged him as a priest of the Most High God, and as such, he paid Melchizedek tithes of the spoil of battle. Abraham tithed before God gave Moses the law! In his meeting with Abraham, Melchizedek did two things. He received Abraham’s tithes and then conferred a blessing upon him. Like Melchizedek, Jesus also receives tithes. Look at Hebrews 7:5-8. Now the law requires the descendants of Levi who become priests to collect a tenth from the people, that is, their brothers, even though their brothers are descended from Abraham. This man, however, did not trace his descent from Levi, yet he collected a tenth from Abraham and blessed him who had the promises. And without doubt, the lesser person is blessed by the greater. Verse 8, shows: “in one case, the tenth is collected by men who die; but in the other case by him who is declared to be living” (who is none other than Jesus Christ Himself, of course)
Like Abraham, who acknowledged Melchizedek by paying him the tithe, we too, acknowledge Jesus as our high priest by paying him the tithe. And like Melchizedek blessed Abraham in return, Jesus too confers His blessing on our lives.
How inconsistent is it then, to expect His blessing in the financial arena when we have not acknowledged Him as our high priest with our tithes?
In Hebrews 4:14 we read, “Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess.”
It is our responsibility to hold fast to our confession of faith. And it is Jesus’ responsibility to respond to our confession of faith. He can’t respond to your confession of faith if you don’t have one.—-So this of course, is the place to start. When we consider our giving and establishing Financial Excellence in our Christian life, we must, of necessity, first place our faith and trust in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. In considering what the tithe is, we also need to consider:
THE PURPOSE OF THE TITHE.
Tithing is spiritual. It is an issue of trusting God and proving that you trust Him to “make up the difference” in your life. As I have said before, I don’t understand God’s economics. I don’t understand how 90% can go further than 100% of our income, but time after time, this is what He does.
We need to understand that even though we are no longer under the Law of the Old Testament, but; Under Grace, the TITHE for us today is just the minimum. We do not do away with the Ten Commandments and say they are not for us today. In fact, we see that Jesus says that a true understanding of the law goes much deeper for His followers. When Jesus talked about Adultery, he said that even to look at a woman with lust is the same as if we have committed adultery, and it is the same as Murder, when we hate our brother.
If this is true, it certainly is true that if the giving of 10% of our income was commanded and obligatory in the Old Testament, for us today, that has to be just the starting point, and a minimum for our giving today.
But you say, “What about what Paul says”—He doesn’t mention the tithe at all.” This is true, but if you don’t look for an excuse to give less than 10% of your income, you might understand what Paul says in I Cor 16:2 in a different way. We read, “…each one of you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with his income.—As he has prospered—in proportion to what he is given.”
People sometimes presume that this passage proves that we can give “whatever we want to give”—that there is no amount suggested here at all. If we make a lot of money, we decide how much we might give of it to the Lord, or if we don’t have very much, somehow we are ‘excused from giving’—or at least from giving very much.
Let’s look closely at what Paul says. If we understand the phrase, “in keeping with his income” or “as God has prospered him” to mean, “everyone’s income is different, so 10% applied to different levels of income would certainly be “in keeping with his income or as he has prospered, or in proportion to what God has given him.
For sure, it isn’t a command to give 10% like the Old Testament Law required, but there is no thought of giving less than 10% either. Paul takes it for granted that the church will tithe. This principle was never rescinded. Everything that Paul talks about is giving beyond the tithe. Missions offerings to send him on his way in his missionary work, or Benevolent offerings for the poor in Jerusalem.
When we stop looking for Biblical support to give less than 10% of our income, and start looking for ways to give more, I believe God will open the windows of heaven and PROSPER us, and BLESS us.
This is what the prophet Malachi is talking about in 3:5-8 (our main text)

Will a man rob (or cheat) God? Yet you rob me. But you ask, How do we rob you? In tithes and offerings. You are under a curse, the whole nation of you, because you are robbing me. Verse 10 says to bring the whole tithe into the “storehouse.” This, of course, has to do with a primary meaning; feeding the Priests and others from the Levitical tribe, but the storehouse is what at one time was the “tent of meeting” and then the temple, or the synagogue (meeting place). This means that the meeting place of God’s people today is the church. When we do that, God says he will throw open the floodgates ( windows) of heaven and pour out so much blessing (so overflowing with abundance), that you will not have room enough for it. “
I know a man named Walt Meloon. I went to school at Taylor University with his daughter Eta. He and his grandson came to the Congo and stayed with us at our Guest House. He was the owner of the boat company Correct Craft in Orlando. He is now retired and his sons run the business. They produced the great water ski boat called “Ski-Nautique.” It became the standard of all Ski boats. They used to use them at Cyprus Gardens, before Legoland bought the lake and grounds. You can read about his story in a book entitled: “Parting the Waters” by James Vincent. The Meloon family have parted the waters of both adversity and prosperity. In this story we see:

• The “miracle production” of 400 assault boats in 15 days to help the U.S. Army cross the Rhine River in World War II. Then how after the government wanted these, said they didn’t need all those boats, and it caused the boat company to go bankrupt.
• The turnaround of the bankrupt company that chose to repay all of its debts.
• The principles of running a company based on Christian values. It started with the financial principle of tithing.
  GOD PROSPERS US BY SOWING AND REAPING
  By working hard, we get seeds to sow. Paul says in II Thess. 3:6, 13 that “if you don’t work, you don’t eat.” In I Timothy 5:8 he tells young Timothy, “If anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for his immediate family, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.”
  We are told in Proverbs 6:6-11 that we should learn a lesson from the ant;—“it has no commander, no overseer or ruler, yet it stores its provisions in summer and gathers its food at harvest. How long will you lie there, you sluggard? When will you get up from your sleep? A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest—and poverty will come on you like a bandit and scarcity like an armed man.” Proverbs 12:11 says He who works his land will have abundant food, but he who chases fantasies lacks judgment. 14:23 says, “hard work brings a profit.”
  This principle of seed is put in action when we are GIVERS.
  But we can’t really be givers until we learn to tithe. When we give the minimum of 10% of our income to the Lord we are just giving back to God what is owed to Him. What is already His. After that we can GIVE. We can give an OFFERING. This is what is discretionary on our part. An amount we give over and above our tithe (our 10%) to God, in order to establish a rate of return from Him. Either financial or spiritual, but most likely both.
  WHEN WE BECOME GIVERS OUT OF OUR ABUNDANCE, WE CAN EXPECT EVEN MORE OF A HARVEST
  II Cor. 9:6-11 has to do with money. More particularly, it has to do with giving to Missions. Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound to you so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work, As it is written (Psalm 112:9); “Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness.” You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through your generosity, thanksgiving to God.
  We must sow (by giving money) (cheerfully) with expectation of a harvest, and the amount of harvest will depend on how much we sow, (just as when one sows seed into the ground).
  This is the pathway to increase and a blessing. The tithe is a principle we see throughout the Bible, and if you want to win in the financial arena, you must properly align your life with it. Even if you are faithful to give your tithe, this involves going beyond just habitually giving your tithes to the Lord. It means doing it with the right heart attitude and applying your confession of faith as you do.
  Instead of looking for reasons to avoid it as some do, begin viewing the tithe as a supernatural opportunity to recognize and respond to Jesus as your high priest. Allow it to keep your priorities focused and orient your heart toward your calling to be a faithful steward. Look at it as an opportunity for God to prosper and bless you.
  When you pay your tithe with a proper perspective, pure motive, and positive confession, you will be on the pathway of experiencing increase and blessing at the hand of God, so that you can even give more into the Kingdom.
  In Mal. 3:10, the Lord Almighty is telling us to “test Him- and see if He won’t throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there won’t be any room to store it.”
  This involves a deeper relationship with God. The gift of salvation is given freely, but it then takes a constant daily walk to keep your relationship with God growing. REMEMBERING who Jesus is and what He has done for us should make us want to submit every part of our lives to Him, including our finances.

Scroll down past Sermon for more info

Nobleton Community Church
29084 Sentinel Street PO Box 224
Nobleton, Florida 34661

Rev. Paul V. Lehmann, Pastor
813-389-8683
Nobletoncommunitychurch.org
info@nobletoncommunitychurch.org

OUR VISION IS:
To experience SPIRIT-FILLED WORSHIP AND PRAYER
To be involved in EVANGELISM, DISCIPLINING AND TRAINING PEOPLE
To use our SPIRITUAL GIFTS
To SERVE AND REACH PEOPLE FOR CHRIST, BOTH
“ACROSS THE STREET AND ACROSS THE WORLD”

Nobleton Community Church
Date January 11, 2026
Text I Corinthians 16:1-9 (also verses 10-14)
Pastor Paul Lehmann

Listen to live audio here

When we talk about “doors of opportunity,” we must realize that:

The opening of doors is all God’s responsibility. We just need to be ready to walk through them when he does it. In Acts 19:1, we read that Apollos, who had been working with Paul, had gone to Corinth. A little further from where Carol read this morning, in verse 12, we see that Paul was urging Apollos to go to Corinth, but Apollos was unwilling; Paul tells them he will go when he has the opportunity. Some have felt that Apollos was strong-willed and that he wasn’t going to go to Corinth, just because Paul told him to go. I believe, though, that there might be another reason. Apollos was willing to obey God whenever and wherever he would tell him to go. For some reason, it wasn’t in God’s timing for him to go then, but when the door was open —he went.

We read in verse 9 that “a great door for effective work has opened to me.”

The important thing to realize is that God’s timing is not ours—and when he finally opens the door, we must be ready to walk through it by being prepared, and then obey.

Jeannene and I have seen this to be true many times in our lives, but there were two significant times when God’s timing and ours didn’t seem to coincide. Yet in the long run, his timing was perfect, of course. Our first ministry in Boma, Dem. Rep of the Congo, I was principle of a high school, and taught Phys. Ed., built an outdoor basketball court and started a basketball team. We had a Bible Study in our home for these players.

At the end of our first four-year term, 34 young people had given their lives to Christ. But we were feeling led to go to the Capitol City for our next term and help with the newly started church planting efforts.

However, God had other plans, and when we came back after a year of speaking in churches in the States, we were assigned once again to Boma. I couldn’t understand how the Lord and I “got our wires crossed” so much. Nevertheless, it was all in the Lord’s timing. I led Theological Education by Extension Classes and was involved with a tent meeting outreach, which resulted in having discipleship classes for 76 converts that lived in our section of the city, and through this, a church was planted. Everything that I was involved with was what I would be doing in Kinshasa. After one year, we were able to transfer to the capital.

The second outstanding time that we saw God work in his timing was after we had spent 21 years in the Congo, and I was asked to be the Director for our Haitian Dist. on the East Coast of the U.S. We moved back to Nyack, where I had studied years before. This was a temporary assignment as the goal was to have a Haitian in this position. I had been praying about where we would go after that happened. I thought of France and the need for missionaries there. However, when I asked the Dir. Of Overseas Ministries, about this he said, “we aren’t sending missionaries to France at this time, until the National Church there puts a training program in place to train more young people to pastor churches. So I thought once again my timing wasn’t right, but God had a plan. I was asked to teach an Evangelism Course and a Church Growth Course in the last year we were in Nyack. Since they didn’t ask me to do this until two weeks before school started, I asked to look at the syllabus of those who had taught it before. I saw that almost everything they wanted me to cover, I had taught in the Congo, so I accepted. The second semester, one of the textbooks was by my friend Greg Livingston, whom I had served with on O.M. Operation Mobilization, a youth organization that distributed Bibles and Christian Literature in Europe during the summer. At that time, he asked me why I was going to the Congo. He said, “They have had the gospel for a long time, and there are Muslim countries that have never heard the gospel.” I told him that all that I can say is that God called me specifically to go to Africa. Well, things were changing, and he had served in a Muslim country for many years and had written a book, “Planting Churches in Muslim Cities.” That book was on the syllabus. As I read it and taught it, the Lord spoke to me about reaching Muslims in France. I knew that there were about 10 million in France, but I didn’t know if that was a valid possibility. I once again approached our Overseas Director and mentioned this to him. He looked at me and said; now that is a totally different possibility. I’ll get back to you on that. He did. The Alliance was planning to go into Morocco, and they wanted to develop a strategy in France, because of the interaction between these two countries

As it turned out, we were sent to France in 1996 to develop a strategy and research what could be done to reach the many Moroccans and Algerians, especially in France. In God’s timing, “a door for effective ministry was opened to us.”

God gave me a promise found in Habakkuk 1:5; “ Look at the nations and watch—and be utterly amazed. For I am going to do something in your days, that you would not believe, even if you were told.”

We prayed and researched many things, especially as to where we should work in France. The north side of Paris is where we settled. We walked the streets of Paris and prayed, asking God to show us how we should go about this seemingly impossible task. We began to talk to others who were working with Muslims. They didn’t even consider the possibility of planting a Muslim Background Believer church. Most thought that any converts would just gravitate toward the existing French churches. We felt that the solution was to have churches with the core group from Muslim backgrounds, but who were also French-speaking, and they would attract all French-speaking people, rather than the other way around. After seven months of making contacts, through Bible stands, praying, and walking the streets, we still hadn’t had a breakthrough. Then God led us to a young Algerian couple, who also felt that a Muslim background, Believers church should be planted. There was a young lady who was a worship leader in the church they were attending, so along with those three, Jeannene and I began to meet for prayer in their 2 room apartment. The Lord made it possible to begin to meet with a few others for services and prayer, and eventually to rent a building, where the church is still located.

The Lord began to give dreams to some of our contacts. Dreams about Jesus that they couldn’t ignore. This was happening all over the world since about the middle of the 1980s.

Back in (1315) Raymond Null, a missionary from Spain, felt called to go to the Northeast corner of Algeria to preach the gospel. They didn’t accept him and his message and he was stoned to death. . It was almost 7 centuries later, (about 1985)before, in God’s timing a door of opportunity was opened. Truly, “the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church.” It was in this part of Algeria in one section of the largest city, that God gave a dream to 300 people. The dream was about Jesus speaking to them. Some saw him at the foot of their bed, showing his nail-scarred hands. The Muslims are taught by their Imams that Jesus didn’t die on the cross but was taken directly to heaven. Can you imagine the next day when the people met each other and shared their dreams, and they were all about Isa (Jesus). At that point on, they were led to know Jesus as their Savior by the missionaries who were still in the country during the late 1980s. Fast forward to the late 90s in Paris, France, a friend of Tasadit, the pastor’s wife that we worked with, would continually invite this lady from the same region she was from in Algeria, to come to church. She politely refused. But one Saturday night, she had a dream. Jesus stood at the foot of her bed and showed her his nail-scarred hands. He said to her, “I am Isa el Messie, (Jesus the Messiah), no one comes to Allah except through me.” She had never heard this verse from John 14:6 in her life, but now she heard it in her mother tongue, Kabyle. The next day, she came to church. The room where we met doesn’t have a cross on the wall. Instead, there is a banner at the front of John 14:6 in Kabyle, her mother tongue. She couldn’t believe it . After each service we had a fellowship meal, and she stayed all afternoon and heard the gospel. She received Jesus as her Savior, later her husband came to Christ and her two children, and the whole family was baptized. This was typical of what happened when the Lord opened up the door of opportunity for his church to grow. During this 2 ½ year period 76 Muslims came to Christ. Eighty % because of dreams, the other twenty % because they finally read the Ingil (the New Testament), which they received at our Bible Stand.

We knew that only God could have opened this door.

In I Corinthians 16:9, the apostle Paul wrote about the strategic doors of opportunity that open for the Gospel and the adversaries that usually accompany them. He said, “For a great and effectual door has been opened to me, and there are many adversaries (those who oppose me” Notice Paul’s use of the words, great and effectual. These Greek words mean gigantic, powerful, and ready to be put into motion. The word door in this context simply means opportunity, and the fact that “it has opened” describes something standing wide open. The Greek Scholar and missionary to Russia, Rom Renner, that I have frequently quoted, says we could translate this as; “ A gigantic, powerful opportunity is already set in motion and standing wide open…”

Paul knew that the particular door he was referring to had never been opened to anyone else, and he stood in awe of the unprecedented opportunity. Walking through these kinds of doors is impossible without divine assistance, and Paul was fully aware of God’s role in the matter. That is why he specified that this door had been opened to him. When Paul tells us that he has opposition, adversaries that are against him, he needs wisdom to deal with those who are attempting to come against him. The word Paul uses here means something that was piled high and lying all around him. In other words, he was dealing with more than a few minor opponents; opposition was stacked high on every side!

The enemy, Satan, will try his best to keep you from stepping through the gigantic doors of opportunity God desires to open for you. Satan is afraid of what will happen when “his” territory is invaded by someone fully equipped with a full arsenal of spiritual weapons! So know this: God will open doors for you- but He needs you to make a determined decision that you will walk through them, no matter the opposition, with the help of His Holy Spirit. By opening the door, God has already done His part, which would have been impossible without his assistance. Now He beckons you to come dressed in the whole armor of God and in the power of His Word—and then proceed through that effectual door into new territory this year. It may look like enemies are everywhere, but it is simply a fact that the devil and his forces flee and collapse when they are subjected to a show of strong faith!.

Your situation may look frightful, but think about this: If God has supernaturally opened a new door for you- a door that’s never before been opened—-He is not beckoning you to walk through it so you can fail. He is with you every step of the way, and He will empower you to defeat every foe and bring Him glory in that new territory that is yours to possess in Jesus’ name!

At the last Passover Supper, Jesus knew very well how the disciples were going to feel after he was betrayed. He knew they would feel like all was lost, and that they were alone. The power that they were going to receive because of what he would accomplish on the cross would be greater than anything they had ever experienced before. That’s why He told them in I Cor. 11:23-25 that every time they eat the bread and drink from the cup— to do it in remembrance of Him.

Scroll down past Sermon for more info

Nobleton Community Church
29084 Sentinel Street PO Box 224
Nobleton, Florida 34661

Rev. Paul V. Lehmann, Pastor
813-389-8683
Nobletoncommunitychurch.org
info@nobletoncommunitychurch.org

OUR VISION IS:
To experience SPIRIT-FILLED WORSHIP AND PRAYER
To be involved in EVANGELISM, DISCIPLINING AND TRAINING PEOPLE
To use our SPIRITUAL GIFTS
To SERVE AND REACH PEOPLE FOR CHRIST, BOTH
“ACROSS THE STREET AND ACROSS THE WORLD”

Nobleton Community Church
Date December 28, 2025
Text Ephesians 2:10
Pastor Nick Hand

Listen to live audio here

1Co 15:21 For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead.
1Co 15:22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.

Rom 5:17 For if by one man’s offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.)
Rom 5:18 Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life.
Rom 5:19 For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.

Rom 6:4 Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.

Luk 9:23 Then He said to them all, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.
Luk 9:24 For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it.

Col 2:12 buried with Him in baptism, in which you also were raised with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead

Eph 2:4 But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us,
Eph 2:5 even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved),
Eph 2:6 and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,

Col 3:1 If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God.

Gal 3:26 For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.
Gal 3:27 For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.

Eph 4:22 that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts,
Eph 4:23 and be renewed in the spirit of your mind,
Eph 4:24 and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness

2Co 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.

1Pe 1:23 Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.

Eph 2:10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

Rom 8:29 For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren.

1Th_5:23 And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Gal 5:16 I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.
Gal 5:17 For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish.
Gal 5:18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.

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Nobleton Community Church
29084 Sentinel Street PO Box 224
Nobleton, Florida 34661

Rev. Paul V. Lehmann, Pastor
813-389-8683
Nobletoncommunitychurch.org
info@nobletoncommunitychurch.org

OUR VISION IS:
To experience SPIRIT-FILLED WORSHIP AND PRAYER
To be involved in EVANGELISM, DISCIPLINING AND TRAINING PEOPLE
To use our SPIRITUAL GIFTS
To SERVE AND REACH PEOPLE FOR CHRIST, BOTH
“ACROSS THE STREET AND ACROSS THE WORLD”

Nobleton Community Church
Date December 21, 2025
Text 1 Corinthians 13:4-7
Pastor Nick Hand

Listen to live audio here

1Jn 4:8 He who does not love does not know God, for God is love.

Jer 31:3 The LORD has appeared of old to me, saying: “Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love; Therefore with lovingkindness I have drawn you.

Rom 5:8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

1Jn 3:1 Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! Therefore the world does not know us, because it did not know Him.

Gal 5:6 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but faith working through love.

Eph 5:1 Therefore be imitators of God as dear children.
Eph 5:2 And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma.

Mat 5:44 But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you,
Mat 5:45 that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.
Mat 5:46 For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same?
Mat 5:47 And if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the tax collectors do so?
Mat 5:48 Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.

Joh 13:34 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another.
Joh 13:35 By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”

1Jn 3:16 By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.
1Jn 3:17 But whoever has this world’s goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him?
1Jn 3:18 My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth.

Rev 2:1 “To the angel of the church of Ephesus write, ‘These things says He who holds the seven stars in His right hand, who walks in the midst of the seven golden lampstands:
Rev 2:2 “I know your works, your labor, your patience, and that you cannot bear those who are evil. And you have tested those who say they are apostles and are not, and have found them liars;
Rev 2:3 and you have persevered and have patience, and have labored for My name’s sake and have not become weary.
Rev 2:4 Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love.
Rev 2:5 Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works, or else I will come to you quickly and remove your lampstand from its place—unless you repent.

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Nobleton Community Church
29084 Sentinel Street PO Box 224
Nobleton, Florida 34661

Rev. Paul V. Lehmann, Pastor
813-389-8683
Nobletoncommunitychurch.org
info@nobletoncommunitychurch.org

OUR VISION IS:
To experience SPIRIT-FILLED WORSHIP AND PRAYER
To be involved in EVANGELISM, DISCIPLINING AND TRAINING PEOPLE
To use our SPIRITUAL GIFTS
To SERVE AND REACH PEOPLE FOR CHRIST, BOTH
“ACROSS THE STREET AND ACROSS THE WORLD”

Nobleton Community Church
Date December 7, 2025Micah 5:4-5
Text Micah 5:4-5
Pastor Nick Hand

Listen to live audio here

Luk 2:10 Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people.
Luk 2:11 For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.
Luk 2:12 And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger.”
Luk 2:13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying:
Luk 2:14 “Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!”

Point 1 Jesus came to bring peace between God and man

Php 4:4 Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!
Php 4:5 Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand.
Php 4:6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God;
Php 4:7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
Php 4:8 Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.

Isa 26:3 You will keep him in perfect peace, Whose mind is stayed on You, Because he trusts in You.

Point # 2 His Peace is conditional

Rom 8:6 For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.
Rom 8:7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be.

Gal 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
Gal 5:23 gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.
Gal 5:24 And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.

Mat 11:28 Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
Mat 11:29 Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
Mat 11:30 For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

Point # 3 We have to Surrender to him

Joh 15:5 “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.
Joh 15:6 If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned.
Joh 15:7 If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.

Point # 4 learn to trust and rest in him

Joh 16:33 These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”

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Nobleton Community Church
29084 Sentinel Street PO Box 224
Nobleton, Florida 34661

Rev. Paul V. Lehmann, Pastor
813-389-8683
Nobletoncommunitychurch.org
info@nobletoncommunitychurch.org

OUR VISION IS:
To experience SPIRIT-FILLED WORSHIP AND PRAYER
To be involved in EVANGELISM, DISCIPLINING AND TRAINING PEOPLE
To use our SPIRITUAL GIFTS
To SERVE AND REACH PEOPLE FOR CHRIST, BOTH
“ACROSS THE STREET AND ACROSS THE WORLD”

Nobleton Community Church
Date November 30, 2025
Text Romans 4:18-22
Pastor Nick Hand

Listen to live audio here

Pro 29:18 Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he.

Point #1 Get Gods vision for your life, Gods vision gives hope

1Sa 30:3 So David and his men came to the city, and, behold, it was burned with fire; and their wives, and their sons, and their daughters, were taken captives.
1Sa 30:4 Then David and the people that were with him lifted up their voice and wept, until they had no more power to weep.
1Sa 30:5 And David’s two wives were taken captives, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail the wife of Nabal the Carmelite.
1Sa 30:6 And David was greatly distressed; for the people spake of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and for his daughters: but David encouraged himself in the LORD his God.

1Sa 30:8 And David enquired at the LORD, saying, Shall I pursue after this troop? shall I overtake them? And he answered him, Pursue: for thou shalt surely overtake them, and without fail recover all.

Hab 2:2 And the LORD answered me, and said, Write the vision, and make it plain upon tables, that he may run that readeth it.
Hab 2:3 For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry.

Point # 2 Write the vision down

Jos 6:1 Now Jericho was straitly shut up because of the children of Israel: none went out, and none came in.
Jos 6:2 And the LORD said unto Joshua, See, I have given into thine hand Jericho, and the king thereof, and the mighty men of valour.
Jos 6:3 And ye shall compass the city, all ye men of war, and go round about the city once. Thus shalt thou do six days.
Jos 6:4 And seven priests shall bear before the ark seven trumpets of rams’ horns: and the seventh day ye shall compass the city seven times, and the priests shall blow with the trumpets.
Jos 6:5 And it shall come to pass, that when they make a long blast with the ram’s horn, and when ye hear the sound of the trumpet, all the people shall shout with a great shout; and the wall of the city shall fall down flat, and the people shall ascend up every man straight before him.

Point # 3 See what God Says

Jos 1:6 Be strong and of a good courage: for unto this people shalt thou divide for an inheritance the land, which I sware unto their fathers to give them.

Point # 4 Give action to the vision

(Ridicule and Anger)

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Nobleton Community Church
29084 Sentinel Street PO Box 224
Nobleton, Florida 34661

Rev. Paul V. Lehmann, Pastor
813-389-8683
Nobletoncommunitychurch.org
info@nobletoncommunitychurch.org

OUR VISION IS:
To experience SPIRIT-FILLED WORSHIP AND PRAYER
To be involved in EVANGELISM, DISCIPLINING AND TRAINING PEOPLE
To use our SPIRITUAL GIFTS
To SERVE AND REACH PEOPLE FOR CHRIST, BOTH
“ACROSS THE STREET AND ACROSS THE WORLD”

Nobleton Community Church
Date November 23, 2025
Text Nehemiah 4:1-16
Pastor Paul Lehmann

Listen to live audio here

In “The Calling” Brother Andrew the missionary who is best known for smuggling bibles behind the old “iron curtain,’ writes; We were planning to smuggle one million Bibles into China. Wanting to be sure that the believers in the country realized the immensity of the task and were willing to accept the risks, we sent Joseph, a Chinese team member, to meet with the key house-church leaders. “So you know how much space one million. Bibles take up? Joseph asked. “We have already prepared storage places,” they replied. “Do you know what could happen to you,” Joseph continued, “if you were caught with even a portion of these Bibles? “Joseph” they said, “all five of us have been in prison for the Lord,” they replied. “All together, we’ve spent 75 years in jail for Jesus. We are willing to die if it means that a million brothers and sisters can have a copy of God’s word.” With tears in his eyes, Joseph folded up his long list of questions and put it away.

Whether it is risking our life or risking our reputation, serving the Lord by sharing the gospel requires courage. God never said his work was safe.

Nehemiah didn’t consider if the work he was undertaking was safe or not. He didn’t shy away from what God had called him to do because he thought he might get persecuted. We talked about last week how Nehemiah prepared to go to Jerusalem, and what a blessing he received from the Lord, so he could do what was on his heart to do——repair the walls of Jerusalem. Chapter 3 tells us that: Everyone joined in to rebuild the wall of that city that had lain in ruins. The name of God was brought to shame, and it was the recognition of that fact which was the inspiration of all their service for God. Remember, as long as the wall of our lives are in ruins, (for we are laborers together with him in the extension of his Kingdom and to the glory of his name, so; When our personal lives and our church is in spiritual ruins, his name is being dishonored still, indeed, more so, for the blood of Jesus has been shed, and;

We have the help of tThe Holy Spirit who has been sent down into our hearts. WHY? To build upon the foundation of Jesus Christ himself and to reproduce his life within each one of us.

The general principles of allocation of labor was that every man repaired beside or in front of his house. He was given that part of the wall which he would naturally be expected to be the most interested, and incidentally and more importantly, the bit of wall where the quality of his work would be the more readily tested by those who knew him best. The true quality of our Christian life is always tested the most severely at home, (your spouse or family members know you best) and sadly it is there that it is most often neglected. If we serve the Lord or the church at the expense of our duty to our family loved ones and the responsibilities of our homes, there is something wrong with the balance of our Christian lives.

NOW HERE IN CHAPTER 4, WE SEE THE WALLS PROCEEDING TO GO UP AND THE OPPOSTION IS GATHERING ITS FORCES.

Finally we read the thrilling story of the enemy’s complete overthrow.

What is the real nature of this opposition? We can look at not only the Old “Testament but also the New Testament.

In the Old Testament we always see an illustration of New Testament truth and 21st century experience. As we see the tactics of the enemy in Nehemiah’s day, we shall discover that he uses exactly the same tactics with us, and he used them against our Lord Jesus Christ also.

We must examine the secret of overthrowing and defeating him, which was not only Nehemiah’s but was also our Lord’s and must be ours if we would overcome.

WHEREVER A WORK IS ATTEMPTED FOR GOD, USUALLY OPPOSITION IS ALWAYS FIRST FROM WITHOUT AND THEN FROM WITHIN.

It comes from external circumstances and from internal enemies.

Here the first sign of opposition is from without and it takes the form of internal enemies.

1.) (Verses 2 and 3) “Anger, ridicule and scorn.” It is pretty crushing.

“Your personnel is completely weak. Your task is absolutely impossible. Even if you do start out, god isn’t going to take any notice of you and He won’t help you.

How subtle, and how modern this approach! When the “Christian dares to say that the only hope of the world is in the gospel of God’s redeeming grace, the whole force of modern civilization and education lines up against him. You are told that “your position is intolerant! How can you say that Christ is the only way? They might even say, :you with your feeble prayer meetings and worship services, and your silly plan of getting people converted one by one, is not efficient and does more harm than good. That is nothing and can[t possible stand alongside our great social economic program in which a whole world can be revolutionized in a few years/ You guys are pitiful!”

The world judges everything by size, by headlines, by vast advertisements and ultimately economic success.” The small churches compared to the mega churches are nothing in the eyes of the world, and even in the evangelical community. They say you have no intellect. You are out of date. You have no status. You have no money (comparatively speaking.) Now this is a paradox because if you have a lot of money or are successful financially and are doing a lot for the Lord, the Media might just jump all over you and say that yo are always asking for money, or you are “hoodwinking” the people.

How tragic though this is, because it is also the mentality of those within the small Christina church. The thinking of the world has sometimes infiltrated the church, so that even Christian people seem to believe that to accomplish anything for God you must prove to the world that you can put on something big. I have much regard for mass evangelism, and mega churches who preach the gospel and are growing and reaching out to a whole generation of unchurched people who normally wouldn’t darken the door of the church, but the New Testament methods never put on a splash and they didn’t depend upon machinery and charismatic personalities and publicity.

God’s work depends on everyone with a mind to work who will be on the bob seven days a week, night and day.

When we see that spiritual revival is the greatest need of our time, the scornful reply is, we are doing it. Praying for revival? Prayers won’t cut it, we must act,. If prayer is so effective, why doesn’t God take care of some of the problems in society today, when we ask him to? Or better still, why doesn’t He do it without prayer meetings? (Only people who aren’t born-again would say such things.)

Whenever a work of God is begun, in heart or homes, Satan uses the method of scorn, to discourage God’s people. The sad thing is that Satan often employs professing Christian people to discourage us sometimes it comes from those who are very close to us, and sometimes it hurts desperately.

There is the scorn of the husband heaped upon the wife who receives Christ and is going to seek to live for him. The scorn of the father and mother whose children express a desire to follow Jesus, and they are put down for this decision, and have no cooperation from the parents to be with Christians at church. Or the scorn of parents whose children express a desire to equip themselves for Christian service, or when a couple is split on the way they see spiritual thigs. One want to center their relationship around Christ and put him first, and the other mocks that desire and calls it religious fanaticism. The one who wants to listen to the message of the Spirit filled life is always scorned by other self!-righteous people who call that desire fanatical and extreme! They might say; “you have all you will ever need in Jesus form the moment of your conversion, or baptism. Don’t expect anything more.” Satan is seeking to quench the desire for a deeper Christian life by making a person believe that because their position in heaven is eternally secure nothing else matters. The truth is that every day of our life our heart’s should be hungry for more and more of Jesus and his power.

But this kind of scorn from within, form those we love, hurts more than from the mocking of the world.

The opposition to Nehemiah was not only scornful but it was POWERFUL. IT WAS A UNITED EFFORT AGAINST THE WORK OF GOD.

How was it overcome? In verse 4 we see that they prayed. They actually prayed against the enemy. How amazing that warring factions, have suddenly put aside all of their differences and have united against Nehemiah Mutual enemies have become mutual friends in order to stamp out the work of God.

     This kind of thing hit the Lord Jesus Christ too. Luke 22:63 we read that the men who were guarding Jesus began mocking and beating Him . They said, “He saved others, let him save himself if he is the Christ of God, the chosen One.” (the Messiah)

Scorn, shame, sarcasm, and withering, biting opposition.

During Jesus’ trial (Luke 23:12) tells us that Jesus appeared before Herod and Pilate that they became friends. Before this they had been enemies.

Whatever you have been through it hasn’t been as bad as it was for Nehemiah, or for our Lord Jesus Christ, and not as bad as it was for Paul or the other apostles. It isn’t as bad as it was for the Chinese Christians that Brother Andrew told about, who had been imprisoned for their faith.

Perhaps some of you may be thinking: “I haven’t ever suffered in any way for my faith. I really don’t know anything about that. No one has eve mocked me, or persecuted me for my faith.” That must be something that weird type Christians have to put up with. They got ridiculed because they are extremists and cause a lot of problems at work or in the neighborhood. Don’t congratulate yourself if you don’t struggle with persecution. Maybe Satan doesn’t think you are a problem at all. You’re not worth bothering with, because you haven’t given a strong enough witness for Christ.

Notice how hard they worked on the wall. It seemed like they were determined to finish everything in one day. It actually took them 52 days, which was very quick at that. It was because they had so much cooperation and the work was divided up. They were determined to finish the task, however long it took. It was just this spirit, which roused the attack of the enemy. He never bothers about half-hearted Christians either. But one you are desperate for god and become burdened for the salvation of others, then all the demons of hell will oppose you.

Sanballat’s scorn was only a cloak for something else. What was it? Verse 1 says; “Sanballat became angry and was greatly incensed.” Actually the two Hebrew words use here mean “burning with rage.” This is pretty strong language. He is a picture of how people oppose those whose work displeases them. ANGER AND RIDICULE His kind of talk helps develop group hatred and prepares minds to justify violence. The fact was he had no logical reason to keep Nehemiah from building up those walls. He had no souldn argument against it, and therefore he was desperatel angry that someone should come along and do this thingl And if people jeer at our Christian testimony today, it is because they have no argument against the gospel.

The World will always be angry at any message, which exposes sin. If a preacher dares to emphasize the truth that the New Testament demands repentance, that behind all saving faith there must be a deliberate turning from sin before there can be any blessing, that the gospel ruthlessly exposes our tragic condition and our utter bankruptcy before it applies the balm of Gilead—I’m telling you, the world will always be angry at a message like that Unfortunately some professing Christians will be too.

NOW, HOW WAS THE OPPOSTION OVERCOME? Did Nehemiah panic or get very worried? Did he answer bak or retaliate? Not at all. What did he do? (verse 6 tells ) “So we rebuilt the wall.” He just kept on building and ignored them, for “the people had a mind to work. They worked with all their heart.

God’s people did not mope over the difficulties, nor did they find fault or gossip: neither did they answer bak or retaliate; they simply concentrated on doing the thing that God had called them to do.

That’s how the Lord Jesus overcame for us. “when they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate, when he suffered, he made not threats, instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly (I Peter 2:23)

He didn’t open his mouth, when he was oppressed and afflicted. Isaiah tells us in his Messianic prophesy (53:7) He was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth.”

He just went right through until, at the end of it all, having come through all that hell could concentrate upon him, he cried, as he hung upon the cross, “IT IS FINISHED” (THE DEBT IS PAID) that’s what the words he used mean. So heaven was opened from that day to every guilty sinner who comes to God through faith in the atoning blood of Jesus Christ.

That is how he overcame!

When the scorn, sarcasm and opposition of the enemy are flooding in upon your life, no matter if it be from you’re nearest and earnest associate and colleague, your friend or loved one, you may ask, “How can I overcome?”

As Jesus did, you don’t fight back. You don’t retaliate.

REMEMBER THE PEOPLE HAD A MIND AND THE HEART TO WORK.

Philippians 2:5-8 tells us: “Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus. Who being in very nature, God, di not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing taking the very nature of a servant being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient to death, even death on a cross. “

Are we ready to say to him, Lord give me your mind to serve, your mind to work, GIVE ME A HEART LIKE YOURS —–“I NEED A HEART TRANSPLANT”

We must be on guard. Watch out for things and people who Satan uses to defeat us. We must pray for protection and that the enemy of our souls will be defeated Perhaps you have not taken a stand against the enemy and you have actually been taking his side. You need to change sides. Get on the side of victory. Have a mind and heart to work. To be watchful against the enemy, and have a heart to PRAY. BUILD THE WALL.

Scroll down past Sermon for more info

Nobleton Community Church
29084 Sentinel Street PO Box 224
Nobleton, Florida 34661

Rev. Paul V. Lehmann, Pastor
813-389-8683
Nobletoncommunitychurch.org
info@nobletoncommunitychurch.org

OUR VISION IS:
To experience SPIRIT-FILLED WORSHIP AND PRAYER
To be involved in EVANGELISM, DISCIPLINING AND TRAINING PEOPLE
To use our SPIRITUAL GIFTS
To SERVE AND REACH PEOPLE FOR CHRIST, BOTH
“ACROSS THE STREET AND ACROSS THE WORLD”

Nobleton Community Church
Date November 16, 2025
Text Nehemiah 2:1-10
Pastor Paul Lehmann

Listen to live audio here

The burnt offering is the Old Testament picture of entire consecration to the service of the Lord. The burnt offering was voluntary; it was all upon the altar; it was made by fire; it was a sweet savor unto the Lord.

THE BURNT OFFERING required complete and detailed OBEDIENCE.

The principle of the burnt offering illustrates the message of

Nehemiah 2:1-10, for this is the principle which not only lies behind the preparation and provision, the equipping of Nehemiah for God’s service, but applies to every one of us in the service of the King of Kings.

No matter whether we are retired or working at a job, either full-time or part-time, all of us should think about these things.

There are three thoughts we want to recognize from this portion of Scripture. First, observe what we talked about last week:

THE BURDEN WHICH NEHEMIAH CARRIED

Looking at the beginning of chapter 1 and the beginning of this chapter two, it seems about four months have passed since he first heard about the condition of Jerusalem and the time when God opened the way for him to take action. He carried this burden even though he couldn’t do anything about it right away, but he PRAYED. Since Nehemiah was King Artaxerxes’ cupbearer, he was before the king every day, so the king noticed that he wasn’t sick, but he looked unhappy. Nehemiah was experiencing a deep sorrow in his heart, and it showed. He knew he had to have the king’s favor before he was able to do anything about the walls and gates of Jerusalem. He either had prayed that God would remove the burden, or else make it possible to do something about it. Appearing sad in the presence of the king was, believe it or not, punishable by death. He was trusting God for a miracle to open the way for him to do something about his burden. He was very patient in waiting on the Lord. Sometimes we rush in instead of being patient. We get ahead of God’s timing. This is hard to do because often our tendency is to wait too long and never do anything. But in this case, the initiative was not in Nehemiah’s hands; it was in God’s.

IT IS ONLY A PERSON WITH A CRUSHING SENSE OF BURDEN AND RESPONSIBILITY WHOM GOD CAN TRUST WITH HIS WORK

We mustn’t confuse emotional response to need with a call.

THE NEED NEVER CONSTITUTES THE CALL.

How many people hear of appalling conditions in some country or area, and immediately respond out of deep sympathy, and the result is disaster, or at the very least, they get discouraged and quit. If it is a missionary overseas who was never “called,” they go back home.

When Jesus told his disciples, “Come to me all you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest.” He isn’t talking about a load on our physical bodies, but a burden we are carrying in our hearts —an emotional or spiritual burden. These words are for those who love him and are following him. I know that many of you here this morning are carrying some heavy burdens in your personal lives. Some are known to your fellow believers, and some aren’t. There are different kinds of needs, outside of our own personal problems, in the lives of people in our neighborhoods; problems and needs that threaten to overburden or crush us when we know about them. Jesus is saying: “Come to me. I can meet your needs.”

When a need or specific burden in our souls gives us a burning desire that comes as an outcome of prayer, and becomes so intense that we cannot leave it alone any longer, then He calls us to fulfill His purpose

When that happens, God acts. The initiative for opening doors of service is never ours, but his. When we are called and we are in God’s will, he will open doors.

THE BASIC RESPONSE TO THE LORD MUST BE THAT WE ARE WILLING TO GIVE OF OURSELVES. WE MUST SURRENDER EVERYTHING TO HIM.

We must be willing to do anything he asks us to or go anywhere he wants us to go. When he calls and sends us, even the hardest ministry on earth becomes enjoyable and easy. That doesn’t mean that it won’t be done under extremely difficult conditions, including danger, but what keeps you at your task and makes it all worthwhile is the fact that God has called you, and you are exactly where he wants you to be. We must bear the burden of the work, and want it as much as the Lord does, and know that in our heart we couldn’t be satisfied doing anything else.

Not only was there a burden that Nehemiah carried, but there was;

A BLESSING THAT NEHEMIAH WANTED.

He not only wanted the blessing of the Lord, but the King. Nehemiah first “prayed to the god of Heaven,” and then he said to the emperor, “If Your Majesty is pleased with me and willing to grant my request, let me go to the land of Judah, to the city where my ancestors are buried, so that I can rebuild the city.”

Now he discovers that the King is listening, and his Queen is sitting there too, and there is no negative responses coming from them. Instead, the King simply asks, “How long will it take you to get there, and when will you be back?” Nehemiah is so encouraged by this response and sees that the King is willing to send him that he tells him the time he wants to go. Then he boldly asks a favor. Could you please also send letters of recommendation to the governors of the Trans-Euphrates (that is, West of the Euphrates River), providing me with safe conduct until I arrive in Judah?

Then on top of this, he has the courage to ask for another letter to Asaph, who is the keeper of the King’s forest, asking him to give timber to make beams for the gates to the citadel (that guards the temple), and for the city wall, and even for the house that he is going to live in while he is there.

Was Nehemiah asking for too much ere? Certainly not! The King was well

able to give him all he asked, and all of these things were absolutely essential if this task, once begun, was to be completed. When God gives you favor with people, He goes way beyond the usual.

As he remembered his commissioning and the promised supply of every need, he recognized that the hand of the Lord was upon him. We sometimes say that he senses “THE ANOINTING.” At any rate, it’s certain that he found favor with the King, because he agreed to send a military escort with him. He was assured that God was with him for the ministry that he was called to do.

Here is the lesson for us: He was sent, he was going to be safe, and he was well supplied. All those factors are important in any service for God. What the King did for him is also symbolic of how the King of Kings (Jesus Christ_ prepares us for service so we can carry out his orders.

The main factor in all of the Lord’s work is not the need of other people, but the command of Jesus. His absolute sovereignty is what matters. Our obedience to Him is what counts.

Nehemiah did not only want to know that he was sent, but he also wanted to be kept safe. We have the right to ask to be kept safe, to ask the Lord to protect us, to build a hedge of protection around us, and our children and grandchildren, and to ask for guardian angels. I believe that, even though I believe this, some pastors, theologians, and commentators might not agree with that. They say things like: “We don’t have the right to be kept safe in a physical sense because we are called upon to sacrifice or hazard our lives for the gospel if need be. “Now it is those who have never been faced with death for the cause of Christ, or because they have never lived in a dangerous country or faced a dangerous situation, who write such things. They concede that we are entitled to be kept safe in the spiritual sense.

It is true that the sentence of death, as it was in Paul, will often be in the true servant of God. But:

We are entitled to pray for both physical and spiritual protection, even though in God’s plan, we must be willing to lose our lives for him.

In the same way that we pray for physical healing, knowing that not everyone will be healed on this earth, that they will find their ultimate healing when they go to be with the Lord, this fact should never stop us from praying in faith, believing that god will heal us. In the same way, just because there may be some who are going to be martyred for Christ, shouldn’t we pray for God’s protection when we enter into a dangerous situation or country? Of course, we should.

Some of you may remember in 2005, there was a movie released called “End of the Spear.” It was about Jim Elliot, Nate Saint, Peter Fleming, Ed McCully, and Roger Youderian. The five M.A.F. pilots who flew into the village of the Auca Indians. Auca, meaning savage (that is what most called them back in the 1950s), but the real name is the Waodani people. Do you think that those missionaries and their wives didn’t pray for protection? The M.A.F. pilots that I have known over my 30 years of missionary work, prayed every time they took a plane up. Let alone when they knew they were going to land among hostile people. God’s plan, however, for those 5 men who were martyred by the Waodanis, was to give their lives. Over 600 young people have said that they obeyed God’s call on their lives to be missionaries because of their deaths. The Waodani man who killed Nate Saint is a pastor today, and there is a strong church in that village. He came to the States and promoted that film with the son of Nate Saint.

I’m sure that Bonnie Whetheral, the O.M. (Operation Mobilization) missionary who served in the Clinic in Lebanon, who was gunned down at work one day in 2003, prayed every day for God’s protection. Yet she was martyred.

Nehemiah here was going to face some opposition to the task before him. He had prayed for favor before the king, and he got it, including the military escort to protect him.

We have every right to ask God to give us favor when we are dealing with the world, with evil people, sometimes who want to harm us, so we can ask for protection, and we have every right to believe that the Lord will keep us safe when we are obeying Him and following his command to GO to serve Him.

Finally then,

NEHEMIAH WANTED TO BE SURE OF HIS SUPPLIES.

He had permission to requisition all of the King’s material resources.

Rebuilding for God requires not only materials but also spiritual resources.

It is absolutely essential that we are FILLED WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT. That means being CONTROLLED BY GOD’S SPIRIT.

So we have seen that Nehemiah carried a burden to accomplish God’s will, and Nehemiah wanted the blessing of not only the Lord, but also the King. Now, finally, think about verse 10.

THE BATTLE WHICH WE FACE

The battle which Nehemiah caused—

Sanballet and Tobiah were not happy with Nehemiah. They were very much disturbed that someone had come to promote the welfare of the Israelites. Nehemiah was a marked man, but it is always so for God’s people. Like we said last week, when God’s people say, “let us arise and build, the enemy Satan says, let us arise and storp them.”

Nehemiah has now provoked the battle.

Think of it. There were plenty of other Jews in Jerusalem, and they’d been there a long time, but they had no concern for a broken-down wall and a ruined testimony. They were perfectly satisfied with the way things were going; they never thought it to be a reproach to the name of God; they were no menace to the devil. But Nehemiah was a man with a burden, who had been sent and supplied, a man with vision and vocation. Here was a man whose whole attitude was a declaration of war against things as they were. He was willing to “shake things up.: And as the enemy saw his determination to retrieve ground that was lost, at once his enemies ere aroused to oppose.

There is no battle anywhere in the spiritual sense until a committed Christian gets involved. There is no concern in the mind of Satan about the church at all until he sees a selfless Christian seeking only the glory of god, determined to challenge the Satanic grip upon men’s hearts and lives in the name of the Lord. Does your testimony or service for God cause Satan any worry at all? How much overtime does the devil have to do in hell because of our church? It’s only when we are sold out to obeying the Lord no matter what, and have no thought of pleasing ourselves, and when we carry a burden for what God has called us to do, and are under the empowerment and control of the Holy Spirit, that Satan is angry and we are engaged in a battle. That is spiritual warfare, but the scripture tells us that “we are more than conquerors in Jesus who gives us the victory, both now and in the days to come.

NEHEMIAH THE MAN OF THE HOUR BECAUSE HE PRAYED ABOUT THE RUINS IN JERUSALEM

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Nobleton Community Church
29084 Sentinel Street PO Box 224
Nobleton, Florida 34661

Rev. Paul V. Lehmann, Pastor
813-389-8683
Nobletoncommunitychurch.org
info@nobletoncommunitychurch.org

OUR VISION IS:
To experience SPIRIT-FILLED WORSHIP AND PRAYER
To be involved in EVANGELISM, DISCIPLINING AND TRAINING PEOPLE
To use our SPIRITUAL GIFTS
To SERVE AND REACH PEOPLE FOR CHRIST, BOTH
“ACROSS THE STREET AND ACROSS THE WORLD”

Nobleton Community Church
Date November 9, 2025
Text Nehemiah 1:1-11 Nehemiah’s Intercession
Pastor Paul Lehmann

Listen to live audio here

IT IS IMPORTANT THAT WE RECOGNIZE OUR RUIN.

We sometimes don’t recognize when things are in ruin. This may be true of our individual lives, our families, our lifestyle, our work or business, our school work, OUR CHURCH.

Or we recognize it, but ignore doing anything about it. I was reminded of this when I saw the documentary about coal miners in Kentucky and West VA, during the 1960s and 1970s. This was when they were trying to organize and receive union contracts. I know that today, people say that in many cases, the unions have caused many businesses to go under. But when unions were first formed, it was because owners didn’t treat their employees right. Do you remember, about 20 years ago, in Upshur, West Virginia, at the Sago Mine, there were 12 miners who were trapped in a collapsed mine shaft for 42 hours. Initially, they thought that all but one had survived, and they announced this to the families, but then they reversed the news, and the reality was that all died of carbon monoxide poisoning, except one, and he was critically injured. He was put in a medically induced coma to rest his brain so that they could try to get enormous amounts of oxygen to his brain. He did come out of the coma and talked about his experience. I never heard if he continued to work as a coal miner. But all of this was so sad, and what was outrageous to me was to find out the owner, who was in New York, knew about the reported safety infractions that were reported by the mine inspectors. He had only owned the mine for about 4 months, knowing of all of these infractions, and didn’t do anything about them. He claimed that his people reported that everything was okay, and they would continue to send men down there. (it was probably the stockholders who said it didn’t matter),. Here is a classic example of things being in ruins and refusing to recognize it.

Sometimes we see our families falling apart, and we refuse to recognize it, or we recognize it but do nothing. We may say, I am retired, or too old, what can I do. Or you may say I am too busy. Sometimes we don’t know what to say or do. If we have children or grandchildren, and they are going through a crisis and there seems to be no way out——YOU CAN PRAY FOR THEM.

The same is true of your own personal lives and our church. Usually, churches collapse or are closed down because people have either not obeyed God or have ceased to pray, if they ever did. Or there is a breakdown in Christian service.

This first chapter of Nehemiah gives us a look at how important the intercession of Nehemiah was. Chapter 2 shows Nehemiah’s expedition back to Jerusalem and his exhortation to the people. Chapter 3 shows the rebuilding of the wall around Jerusalem attempted. Chapters 4-6 show how this was obstructed, and they even try to kill him to stop him, but God helps them complete the task.

WE SEE THAT GIVING PERSONAL SERVICE TO GOD

BEGINS WITH PRAYER.

We see a tremendous regard by Nehemiah to follow through on what he recognizes as God’s will, and he knows that God has called him. We shouldn’t attempt any service for the Lord without knowing His will, or without understanding the real principles of Christian service. To do so is actually sinful. Why? Because we have “missed the mark,: (and I have said before that this is what sin means—–missing God’s mark or purpose), because we have missed what He wants for us, and we have put our own desires ahead of His, and have chosen our own task, our own sphere of service, our own life, and ignored the claims of the Savior, which should take first place in our lives.

As we study the book of Nehemiah, I pray that the Holy Spirit will burn into all our hearts that the Lord Jesus Christ has the supreme claim upon the life of each one of us. May you make this your prayer too.

May you pray: ” Lord, what do you want me to do, and how do you want me to do it.”

It’s only when every part of your life is adjusted to God in every detail that God can achieve his purpose through you, and your life will be successful in the truest sense of the word. We ought to pray, then, that many of us will be led into a clear knowledge of the will of God and that all of us will be brought to understand more fully the principles of all Christian work.

In order to catch the full significance of this Book of Nehemiah, we need to be clear as to the particular circumstances in which it was written and the period of history to which it refers.

Ezra the priest had gone back to Jerusalem to rebuild the temple. The restored Jewish remnant had been back in Judea for over 90 years. The temple wasn’t anywhere near as magnificent as Solomon’s temple, of course, but although the actual building had only taken 4 years, 6 months, and 10 days (according to Haggai 1:15 and Ezra 6:15), the remnant had been back 21 years when it was completed!

Now, when Nehemiah came to Jerusalem, another 12 years after Ezra, circumstances were far from good. The walls and gates of Jerusalem were still in ruins, a discouragement to everybody.

The historical events that were unfolding during this time were of great interest and of deep spiritual significance. The Jewish people had been taken into captivity for 70 years in Babylon, but in the year 530 B.C. power of the Babylonian Empire was broken by the power of Persia, and upon assuming supremacy, the King of Persia encouraged the Jewish remnant to return to their own country and to the city of Jerusalem.

This is Ironic to me. Old Persia is present-day Iran. Here in ancient times, the King of “Iran,” if you will, was behind the Jews in their effort to go back and restore Jerusalem, while the present-day Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who holds the highest office in Iran, threatens to obliterate Israel and drive them into the Mediterranean Sea. You might wonder why? It is because the jews at Mecca in the year 620 AD (now they are saying C.E.) when Mohamed came from Medina back to Mecca, the Jews refused to accept him as a prophet. From then on, Muslims have had an extreme hatred for the Jews.

Back in Ezra’s day some 50,000 Jews did return, and they set about the Immense task of rebuilding the temple, which was so vital to the life of the Jewish people in their worship of God. Discouraged by opposition from the people who had settled in that particular country during the years of their captivity, and also by the immensity of the task, the Jews soon abandoned the work, with only the foundation of the temple rebuilt. It wasn’t until Haggai and Zechariah challenged the people and pointed out their neglect of the things of God that the temple was completed, some 20 years after the first group had returned from captivity.

Sixty more years passed by, and Ezra had trouble finishing the task of rebuilding parts of the wall and the gates. The Persian king had no power to send them reinforcements, so the walls remained in ruins for more than 90 years.

It was at this time in the year 445 BC that Nehemiah became the “Man of the hour.” He was raised up by God to meet “the need of the hour.” God spoke to Nehemiah, prepared him for the task, and called him to serve the Lord in the rebuilding of the wall of Jerusalem. The opening chapter of this book gives us the account of his preparation and

NEHEMIAH’S CALL AND HIS PRAYER, TO ACCOMPLISH GOD’S

PURPOSE

There is a wall to be built around the city of your soul, so to speak. A testimony to be erected around our church. There is a wall of witness and testimony to be built around the whole Kingdom of God in all the world.

Usually when we talk about walls, we say we need to “tear down the walls,” Like the Berlin wall, which was a wall of evil. We talk about tearing down walls that cut off communication with people and destroy relationships. We don’t want any walls or barriers between us. But here we see that the wall of Jerusalem is symbolic and full of meaning for the Jewish people. they are a foundation for obeying God. It is this sense that makes them important and what we want to talk about.

Whether you are mainly concerned with building the wall in your own soul, or with building the wall as a foundation for this church, figuratively speaking, or with building the Kingdom of God throughout the world, you will discover that “there is no winning without warfare”, as Allen Redpath used to say. There is no “There is no opportunity without opposition. There is no victory without vigilance.” For whenever the people of God say, “Let us arise and build,” Satan says, “Let me arise and oppose.”

When Hanani came back from Jerusalem with men of Judah, Nehemiah asked about the Jews who had escaped, who had survived the captivity, and also about Jerusalem. He was told about their great distress and how they were opposed. Also, the wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates are burned with fire, they said.

When Nehemiah heard about this, he was heartbroken. He sat down and wept. He mourned for many days, but during this time, HE FASTED AND PRAYED before the God of heaven.

Nehemiah was not the last to weep over Jerusalem; our Lord sat on the slopes of the Mount of Olives and wept over the city, and mourned and prayed and sacrificed his life for it, as well as us. Thousands of people ever since, have found that their life’s work for god has only begun when they have wept, fasted, and prayed over the revelation of conditions as they really are.

Let’s learn this lesson from Nehemiah: you never lighten the load unless first you have felt the pressure in your own soul.

You are never used by God to bring blessing until God has opened your eyes and made you see things as they are. We must be concerned about the walls that I have mentioned. The wall of our own soul, or those in our family who have seen spiritual things in their life, crumble, and their life are in ruin. We need to make sure that the spiritual foundation or “wall” of our church is strong, and also the wall of missionary enterprise around the world. Not just across the street but across the ocean.

So in order to rebuild the walls, we must first see as Nehemiah did that they lie in ruin.

May we reflect on the attitude of the human heart that is without God. We must feel the burden, and it begins in our own hearts. When Jesus moved among the crowd, he was moved with compassion because he saw them as sheep without a shepherd. Too often, we complain about the number of people making our space “crowded,” like in the supermarket. Waiting in line or making it harder to push a grocery cart. Let’s ask the Lord to give us a burden for all these people, and that the Holy Spirit will empower us to reflect Jesus Christ to everyone in our way.

When we read about the walls in ruins and the gates burned, we must realize that this was the custom to burn the gates when a city was taken. God’s purpose for Jerusalem was that its walls should be salvation and the gates should be praise. These emblems of salvation and praise are now lying in ruins. The symbol of salvation, the symbol of praise, the wall (spiritually speaking, as a “hedge of protection” against our enemy, Satan.

Does the wall of our souls, that should protect us from the sin of this world, lie in tragic ruin, as we continually compromise with the enemy of our souls? Satan rejoices and drags us further into ruin by going against everything that we know is right. Are there things in our lives that need to be rebuilt? When we have that hedge of protection and the Power of the Holy Spirit, we can go into the world and not be taken down by those living in sin. Instead of them making an impact on us, we can make an impact on people as they see Christ in our lives.

But there can be no blessing until we look deep down into ourselves and see our spiritual life as it really is. What about the wall of your prayer life? Prayer is just talking to God. Do you talk to him about everything? Not just when there is a crisis, but about the mundane things in life. Maybe you feel that you don’t need to “bother” the Lord about everything; that some things you can take care of yourself. The old adage “God helps those who help themselves” isn’t in the Bible. He wants to help you with everything.

Whatever the ruin in your life or mine may be, whatever may be the ruin of the impact of our church testimony, no matter how great the need may be overseas, if only we can go back to God’s past and ground our prayers upon a cross, upon the blood upon an empty tomb, and ascended Lord, then we will see in these things the mirror reflecting all God’s purposes for this world of ours. We don’t hear much of this kind of praying. Most of our prayers are just asking God to bless us or the work, or heal people who are ill, and to keep plugging along, to keep going. But prayer should also be WARFARE! Prayer engages in a battle. Real prayer is rooted in the promises of God and in the covenant of the blood. We have the reasons given to us by God in His Word why He should answer, and we can read them there.

THAT’S WHY NEHEMIAH’S PRAYER WAS ANSWERED; IT WAS BASED ON GOD’S PURPOSES AND GOD’S PROMISES.

The principles of Christian service are just the same today. We are prepared to serve the Lord only by sacrifice. We are fit for the work of god only when we have prayed about it, and then we are enabled by him to tackle the job that needs to be done.

May God give us hearts that are broken before the Lord, wills that are obedient, and a determination that is completely unflinching as we do what he asks us to do.

YOU’VE GOT TO GET OUT OF THE BOAT

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Nobleton Community Church
29084 Sentinel Street PO Box 224
Nobleton, Florida 34661

Rev. Paul V. Lehmann, Pastor
813-389-8683
Nobletoncommunitychurch.org
info@nobletoncommunitychurch.org

OUR VISION IS:
To experience SPIRIT-FILLED WORSHIP AND PRAYER
To be involved in EVANGELISM, DISCIPLINING AND TRAINING PEOPLE
To use our SPIRITUAL GIFTS
To SERVE AND REACH PEOPLE FOR CHRIST, BOTH
“ACROSS THE STREET AND ACROSS THE WORLD”

Nobleton Community Church
Date November 2, 2025
Text Matthew 14:22-36
Pastor Paul Lehmann

Listen to live audio here

Carl Boyle was a sales representative. One day, he was driving home when he saw a group of young children selling Kool-Aid on a corner in his neighborhood. They had the typical hand-scrwled sign over their stand. “Kool-Aid, 10 cents.” Carl was intrigued. He pulled over to the curb. A young man approached and asked politely if he would like strawberry or grape Kool-Aid. He placed his order and handed the boy a quarter. After much deliberation, with the other kids, they determined he had some change coming, so they rifled through a cardboard box until they finally came up with the correct amount. The boy returned with the change and the drink, then stood by the side of the car. After a few seconds, he asked if Carl was finished drinking. “Just about,” he said,” why”? “Well, that’s the only cup we have answered the boy, and we need to stay in business,”

It’s difficult to operate a Kool-Aid business if you only have one cup. We sometimes make that mistake in the church. We think that perhaps we don’t have enough money to buy any more cups (maybe not cups), but whatever we need. Or perhaps we don’t have the personnel to do what needs to be done. We ourselves are too busy. We sometimes even look for reasons why something can’t be done.

We could speak this morning about the fact that the workers are few (Matt. 9:32) and that we need to pray more for workers. This would be true. We could also emphasize the evangelistic task that is necessary to be engaged in if we are to do what Jesus commanded us to do. For many people, the word evangelism either brings up negative feelings about TV evangelists or presentations of the gospel that are not only confrontational, but not Biblical. Before I became pastor here, I worked with my son Eric at Freedom Church, with international students, and I had a Bible Stand on the campus of U.S.F. There was a church group that came near the “Bull Market” where we had set up as well as a lot of student groups, and off campus merchants. The “evangelist” would draw a crowd by confronting the female students who were wearing shorts and calling them sinful whores. I couldn’t believe the things they said to these girls. Soon, other students joined in yelling back at him, and the confrontation was far from loving. Even though he would quote scripture to back up what he was trying to communicate, his method was far from Biblical.

Some so-called evangelical Christians think protesting is an important way to witness. It isn’t! All it does is ostracize those who are resistant to the gospel. When protestors hold up signs declaring that a certain group of people is going to go to hell, it does not open up their hearts to accept Jesus and transform their lives. This used to happen frequently in front of abortion clinics, and also every year when the Church of Latter-day Saints holds its annual conference, some hold up signs across the street from the conference hall, and when they have to walk by with their children, they have to cover their ears because of the awful things so-called Christians are yelling at them. One Mormon missionary said that it just makes her decision to follow Mormon teachings more solid. That is not evangelism. We must never hold back the truth, but it must be given in love, in faith, believing that the Spirit of God would speak that truth to all who will listen. That’s evangelism.

Our problem is that we are so used to the way we have always done things, or the fact that we have never really done any evangelism, and we don’t want to “rock the boat,” let alone “GET OUT OF THE BOAT.”

WE DON’T WANT TO ROCK THE BOAT BECAUSE THERE IS WATER OUT THERE AND A STORM IS COMING UP.

Our idea of evangelism, may not be as outrageous as the protestors in Utah, or some who try to do evangelism on the campus of U.S.F. –but we may only have “a one cup “ kind of evangelism. A special event now and then, or a particular strategy to try and incorporate people into the church. By limiting our vision of evangelism to one of these “cups,” we may be stifling Cffhrist’s work on earth, and cheating ourselves out of one of the most rewarding endeavors Christ offers us: Evangelism that involves all of us. Even though we are a small church, we have a core group of committed Christians.

THE PROBLEM IS THAT OFTEN WE ARE NOT MOVING TOWARD JESUS. WE’RE TOO OFTEN CONTENT TO STAY IN THE BOAT.

We’re too often just like the disciples in this account from our text this morning. Before we can know what we are to do, once we are out of our “boat,” where it is comfortable, we must obey Jesus. We must approach Him when he tells us to come.

John Ortberg has written a book with the title that I have used for the title of my message.

IF YOU WANT TO WALK ON WATER, YOU HAVE TO GET OUT OF THE BOAT.

Usually when we hear sermons on this passage the emphasis is on Peter’s lack of faith. He was okay until he took his eyes off of Jesus, and began looking around ot the wind and the waves,—his circumstances—that cause him to begin to sink, and Jesus reaches out and pulls him back up. We are always admonished to have more faith and to keep our eyes on Jesus. That’s all very good and accurate. However, Ortberg takes another angle, which you get very quickly from the title.

PETER GOT OUT OF THE BOAT!

Peter had enough faith to ask Jesus to tell him to come to Him. Jesus said, “Come,” and he got out ot the boat and walked on water for a some distance. We usually emphasize his lack of faith because Jesus did that. But the other 11 disciples didn’t even have as much faith as he did. They just stayed in the boat.

What’s a little astonishing to me is: they had all just seen the event of Jesus feeding 5,000 men plus women and children—a minimum of about 15,000 people, with 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish. After the miracle where everyone ate, Jesus went up on the mountain to prayl Jesus told them, go ahead. I’ll catch up to you, so they got in the boat and started for the other side. When evening came the boat was a considerable distance from land. Some translations say (many Stadia) A stadion was 600 feet. By the time Jesus finished praying it was the fourth watch, and by our time standard it was about 3:00 am. By this time the boat had moved out to the middle of the lake, because it was a good 9 hours later, even though the boat was buffeted , sometimes w e read tormented, by the wind which was against it. The sails weren’t doing much good, they had to row. Otherwise they would have been clear to the other side. The distance across the Lake of Galilee is about 8 miles at the width, so they were about 3 or 4 miles out. Jesus begins to walk out to them. It’s dark and they don’t recognize who it is. They just saw this figure walking on the water, and they were terrified. They think it is a ghost. Now we might think, how can they not know that it is Jeus. Who else can it be. He had just multipled the bread and fish, and fed all those people. You would think that they would have said; Hey you guys, or Hey y’all look out there—that’s got to be Jesus. Cool , see what he’s doing now —water walking. Wow! Nothing like that. Matthew in this account wants us to know that;

SOMETIMES IT TAKES EYES OF FAITH TO RECOGNIZE WHEN JESUS IS AROUND.

Often when we are going into the wind so to speak—tossed around by the enemy—by disappointment and doubt, we are no better at recognizing his presence than they were.

Now what was Jesus up to, walking around on the lake at 3:00 in the morning? In Mark 6:48 we have some more details. It says that he went out to them walking on the lake, and he was about to pass by them, when they saw him. That’s when they thought he was a ghost.

David Garland points out that the Greek word used here is the same word used in the Suptuegent (the Greek translation of the Old Testament) for a theophany—it is a technical term used to refer to those defining moments when God made “striking and temporary appearances on earth to a select individual or group for the purpose of communication a passage. There is a pattern to these accounts. Moses in a cleft in a rock so he could see, while my glory passes by—the Lord passed before him.

Elijah was told to stand on the mountain. “For the Lord is about to pass by”

God had to get people’s attention—through a burning bush, he finally got Moses’ attention—through wind and fire.

Through walking on water, he got the disciples’ attention.

With each person, God was going to call them to do something extraordinary. In each situation, the person that God called felt afraid. But every time that people said “yes” to their calling, they experienced the power of God in their lives.

He is saying by walking on the water—take courage it is I. Don’t be afraid.

This command is used more than any other command in the Bible—Don’t be aftraid, or Fear not!

He is not looking for risk takers, simply for th sake of doing something different or exciting. Some respond to this kind of and adventurous challenge. But he is not looking for someone to do hand gliding, or bungee jumpi ng, or parachuting, or mountain climbing, or some extreme sport, like you would fin on the TV program “Fear Factor” Jesus is looking for us to discern between fait and foolishness. Ortberg says:

WATERWALKERS DISCERN BETWEEN FAITH AND FOOLISHNESS

Water-walking is not something Peter does for recreational purposes. This is primarily about obedience. It is about discipleship. Before Peter got out of the boat, he made sure it was a good idea. He says; “Lord if it’s you, tell me to come to you on the water.” Jesus didn’t respond negatively to him, by saying something like, “are you nuts Peter. Just because I’m walking on the water, doesn’t mean you can.” No, He says; COME. So—–

WATER-WALKERS GET OUT OF THE BOAT

You’re scared to death—which would you choose, the boat or trying to walk on the water? The boat is safe and secure, and comfortable. That’s what the other disciples chose. On the other hand, Peter who saw that the water is rough, and the waves are high and the wind is strong, but since Jesus is telling him to do it—-he does.

So if you get out of the boat—whatever your boat might happen to be—there’s a good chance you might sink. But it you don’t get out ot the boat, there’s a guaranteed certainty that you will never walk on the water.

FOR US, THERE IS SOMEONE ELSE –THE HOLY SPIRIT INSIDE OF US

The Holy Spirit tells us, that there is more to life than sitting in the boat. You were made for something more than merely avoiding failure. There is something indise you that wants to walk on the water—to leave the comfort of routine existence and abandon yourself to the high adventure of following god so let me ask you a ver important question.

WHAT’S YOUR BOAT?

Your boat is whatever represents safety and security to you apart from God himself. Your boat is whatever you are tempted to put your trust in, especially when life gets a little stormy. Your boat is whatever keeps you so comfortable that you don’t want to give it up even if its keeping you from joining Jesus on the waves. Your boat is whatever pulls you away from the high adventure of extreme discipleship.

Fear will tell you what your boat is. Ask yourself what it is that most produces fear in me when I think of leaving it behind and stepping out in faith?

WATER-WALKERS MASTER FAILURE MANAGEMENT

If you fail, you might just have to be given another opportunity to get it right. Before Jonas Salk developed a vaccine for polio that finally worked, he tried 200 unsuccessful ones. Somebody asked him, “How did it feel to fail 200 times? “I never failed 200 times in my life.” “I was taught not to use the word failure. I just discovered 200 ways not to vaccinate for polio.

When Winston Churchill was asked what most prepared him to risk political suicide by speaking out against Hitler during the years of appeasement in the mid-1930s. to lead Great Britain against Nazi Germany. Churchill said it was the time he had to repeat a grade in elementary school. “You mean you failed a grade in grade school?”

“I never failed anything in my life; I was given a second opportunity to get it right.”

Did Peter fail? Perhaps to some extent, but there were 11 other bigger failures sitting in the boat.

Only Peter knew the glory of walking on water.

He alone knew what it was to attempt to do what he was not capable of doing on his own.

He felt the empowerment of Jesus.

Only Peter knew the glory of being lifted up by Jesus in a moment of desperate need.

THE WORST FAILURE IS NOT HAVING THE CHANCE TO GET OUT OF YOUR BOAT AND LETTING JESUS, —-PASS YOU BY.