SERMON #13 – NEHEMIAH 4: “BUILDING & BATTLING!”

INTRODUCTION:

1. I am passing over Nehemiah 3 since it is simply a list of 38 individuals by name and recognition of hundreds of others whose names are not included including Priests, Levites, Political Leaders, and at least two women, (3:12) who assisted with the building of the wall and the location where they built.

2.This DOES NOT mean that the people or their names or where they built is not important!

3. We should note from Nehemiah 3 that it takes a lot of different people doing a lot of different things to accomplish GOD’s Kingdom work!

4.. We should take note from Nehemiah 3 that GOD knows who we are and what we do for HIS Kingdom work!

EXPOSITION – NEHEMIAH FOUR

(4:1-3) Opposition often begins with ridicule!

(1) “Now when Sanballat heard that we were building the wall, he was angry and greatly enraged, and he jeered at the Jews. (2) And he said in the presence of his brothers and of the army of Samaria, “What are these feeble Jews doing? Will they restore it for themselves? Will they sacrifice? Will they finish up in a day? Will they revive the stones out of the heaps of rubbish, and burned ones at that?”                   (3) Tobiah the Ammonite was beside him, and he said, “Yes, what they are building– if a fox goes up on it he will break down their stone wall!”

(4:4-6) The right response to opposition is prayer!

(4) “Hear, O our God, for we are despised. Turn back their taunt on their own heads and give them up to be plundered in a land where they are captives. (5) Do not cover their guilt and let not their sin be blotted out from your sight, for they have provoked you to anger in the presence of the builders.”

(4:6a) The right response to opposition is to keep on working!

(6) So, we built the wall. And all the wall was joined together to half its height…”

(4:6b) GOD’s Kingdom work gets done when HIS people make up our minds to get it done!

(6) “for the people had a mind to work.”

(4:7-8) GOD’s People must be prepared for the enemies of GOD, HIS People, and HIS Kingdom work to oppose us with violence!

(7) “But when Sanballat and Tobiah and the Arabs and the Ammonites and the Ashdodites heard that the repairing of the walls of Jerusalem was going forward and that the breaches were beginning to be closed, they were very angry. (8) And they all plotted together to come and fight against Jerusalem and to cause confusion in it.”         

(4:9) The proper response to violent opposition is prayer and preparation for defense!

(9) “And we prayed to our God and set a guard as a protection against them day and night.”

(4:10-15) In times of great difficulty, GOD’s People should look to their leaders and their leaders must lead!

(10) In Judah it was said, “The strength of those who bear the burdens is failing. There is too much rubble. By ourselves we will not be able to rebuild the wall.” (11) And our enemies said, “They will not know or see till we come among them and kill them and stop the work.” (12) At that time the Jews who lived near them came from all directions and said to us ten times, “You must return to us.” (13) So, in the lowest parts of the space behind the wall, in open places, I stationed the people by their clans, with their swords, their spears, and their bows. (14) And I looked and arose and said to the nobles and to the officials and to the rest of the people, “Do not be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your brothers, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your homes.”

(15) When our enemies heard that it was known to us and that God had frustrated their plan, we all returned to the wall, each to his work.”

(4:16-18) Doing GOD’s Kingdom work always involves both building and battling!

(16) “From that day on, half of my servants worked on construction, and half held the spears, shields, bows, and coats of mail. And the leaders stood behind the whole house of Judah, (17) who were building on the wall. Those who carried burdens were loaded in such a way that each labored on the work with one hand and held his weapon with the other. (18) And each of the builders had his sword strapped at his side while he built. The man who sounded the trumpet was beside me.”

(4:19-23) Doing GOD’s Kingdom work will require long hours, hard work, and being hated, threatened, and opposed!

(19) And I said to the nobles and to the officials and to the rest of the people, “The work is great and widely spread, and we are separated on the wall, far from one another. (20) In the place where you hear the sound of the trumpet, rally to us there. Our God will fight for us.”        (21) So, we labored at the work, and half of them held the spears from the break of dawn until the stars came out. (22) I also said to the people at that time, “Let every man and his servant pass the night within Jerusalem, that they may be a guard for us by night and may labor by day.” (23) So, neither I nor my brothers nor my servants nor the men of the guard who followed me, none of us took off our clothes; each kept his weapon at his right hand.”

NOTE: While Christians have been blessed in our Country with peace and freedom for the first 350 years of our Nation’s history, that is rapidly changing and is certainly no longer the case!

2^nd Timothy 3:1-5

(1) “But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. (2) For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy,      

(3) heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, (4) treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, (5) having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people.”