01.19.2022 | THE MINISTRY OF THE DUNG GATE
THE MINISTRY OF THE DUNG GATE
What are some of the things that keep God’s people from walking in freedom in Christ?
The Holy Spirit is inviting us to the Dung Gate.
The Dung Gate is the place where freedom in Christ is found.
The Dung Gate is where we get rid of the trash and rubbish in our lives.
The ministry of the Dung Gate is the calling to help others get rid of the trash and begin to walk in freedom in Christ.
“If you get rid of the trash, the rats run away.” – Charles Kraft
Nehemiah 1:3 – “And they said to me, ‘The survivors who are left from the captivity are in great distress and reproach. The wall of Jerusalem is also broken down, and its gates are burned with fire.’”
Nehemiah 2:13 – “And I went out by night through the Valley Gate to the Serpent Well and the Refuse Gate and viewed the walls of Jerusalem which were broken down and its gates which were burned with fire.”
The picture of Jerusalem is a picture of many in the Body of Christ.
The temple was rebuilt, but the walls were broken down and the gates burned with fire.
Many people are truly born again. Their spirit is alive in Christ, but there are broken places from their past that keep them from walking in freedom in Christ.
How do we get free?
1. UNDERSTAND WHO WE ARE
1 Thessalonians 5:23 – “Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
1 Thessalonians 5:24 – “He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it.”
We are spirit, soul, and body.
Our spirit comes alive when we receive Jesus as our Savior.
Our soul is made up of our mind, will, and emotions.
Our body is our physical being.
Our spirit is born again, just like the temple rebuilt in Jerusalem.
But there is often still great brokenness in our soul: unhealthy thought patterns, unhealed emotions, broken relationships from our past, resentments and bitterness, lies about ourselves, others, and the Lord we have believed. We struggle to resist temptation and drive back the enemy.
We are very much like the situation in Jerusalem in the time of Nehemiah.
2. UNDERSTAND WHO THE HOLY SPIRIT IS
Nehemiah is an O.T. picture of the Holy Spirit and His work in our lives.
Nehemiah means, “the Lord Comforts”.
The Holy Spirit is our Comforter, our Counselor, our Helper, and our Advocate.
He has come to first bring us to Jesus, and then to bring wholeness and restoration to our lives.
Nehemiah was sent by the king to bring restoration to Jerusalem.
The Holy Spirit is sent by the King of Kings to bring restoration and Christlikeness into our lives.
John 16:7 – “Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you.”
Psalm 23:3a – “He restores my soul.”
Nehemiah was committed to the rebuilding and restoration project. He took a twelve-year leave of absence.
The Holy Spirit is committed to restoring and rebuilding us.
He gives us hope. He does not give up on us. He does not walk away from us. Restoration takes time.
Psalm 138:8a – “The Lord will perfect that which concerns me.”
Philippians 1:6 – “Being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.”
3. BE WILLING TO WALK THROUGH THE DUNG GATE
The Holy Spirit is calling us to walk through the Dung Gate into our place of freedom.
John 5:6b – “Do you want to be made well?”
The Holy Spirit is calling us to walk with others through the Dung Gate and into their freedom.
Galatians 6:1 – “Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted.”
Steps to Freedom in Christ:
A. Forgive every person who has hurt you or disappointed you.
B. Repent of any open door to sin or the enemy.
C. Renounce the works of darkness that have oppressed you and tormented you.
D. Take authority over them and command them to be gone in Jesus’ Name.
E. Ask the Lord to fill every vacated area with His Presence and replace every lie with the truth of the Word.
Walk through the Dung Gate and through the Fountain Gate into the King’s Pool.
Nehemiah 2:14a – “Then I went on to the Fountain Gate and to the King’s Pool.”
Receive the Living Water.