Press On Nehemiah 6

Cody Jones

Nehemiah; Arise and build • Sermon • Submitted 17 days ago • Presented 17 days ago

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Notes

Transcript

Introduction

Press on through opposition vs. 1-9

In verse 1 we see the progress of the wall

Remember not long before this time the walls and gates were in terrible condition.

The walls are broken down and the gates therein are burned with fire.

Now we find the walls were up and there were no more breaches in the wall, the only thing thing left was to put up the gates.

All the enemies of Israel knew they were very close to finishing the walls and gates therefore making it increasingly difficult for them to overtake the city again

in verse two we find Sanballat and Geshem trying to get Nehemiah to step back from the work and go meet them.

In verse 1 he calls them out as enemies and here he discerns that they mean this meeting for harm.

Have you ever noticed that when things start going well for you in the Christian life, You’re spending time with God, going to church to hear from Him, having private worship, that the enemy always tries to distract you?

He might send a trial your way

he might do something so you stop spending time with God

He doesn’t want you to finish the work God has for you so he will distract you and discourage you from going on.

Do we know that the enticements to sin are put their by the one who intends to do you harm

Nehemiah was unfazed by the distraction.

He sends messengers to them and tells them that he is doing a great work and he can’t come down.

The work he was doing was a great work, when we are doing the work the Lord has called us to we are doing a great work as well.

Remember when Jesus got left behind at the temple in Luke 2:41–52“Now his parents went to Jerusalem every year at the feast of the passover. And when he was twelve years old, they went up to Jerusalem after the custom of the feast. And when they had fulfilled the days, as they returned, the child Jesus tarried behind in Jerusalem; and Joseph and his mother knew not of it. But they, supposing him to have been in the company, went a day’s journey; and they sought him among their kinsfolk and acquaintance. And when they found him not, they turned back again to Jerusalem, seeking him. And it came to pass, that after three days they found him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the doctors, both hearing them, and asking them questions. And all that heard him were astonished at his understanding and answers. And when they saw him, they were amazed: and his mother said unto him, Son, why hast thou thus dealt with us? behold, thy father and I have sought thee sorrowing. And he said unto them, How is it that ye sought me? wist ye not that I must be about my Father’s business? And they understood not the saying which he spake unto them. and he went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was subject unto them: but his mother kept all these sayings in her heart. And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature and in favour with God and man.

We cannot allow the enemy to distract us from the mission God has called us to. Keep your eye on Jesus and don’t get the enemy to distract you.

If you are trusting God, walking in purity, and thanking God for what He gives, you are doing a great work just as much as Nehemiah was, even if you’re not surrounding a city with stones. Putting rocks around a small town is not what makes Nehemiah’s work great. A dedication to God’s name, God’s promises, and God’s people is what makes Nehemiah’s work great.

They wouldn’t leave Nehemiah alone, they sent for him 4 times and every time he sent back the same message

Are there things that persistently distract you from what God has called you to do? If you’re a student, God has called you to honor Him in your studies. If you’re an employee, God has called you to honor Him in the way you serve your employer. If you’re a spouse, God has called you to honor Him in your marriage. If you’re single, God has called you to honor Him in your singleness. If you’re a child, God has called you to honor Him by obeying and honoring your parents. Let’s answer the things that would distract us from the great work God has given each of us to do with the same steadfastness we see from Nehemiah here.

After the 5th time Sanballat sends a letter that was full of false accusations.

In the letter he accuses the Jews of rebuilding the wall so they could rebel against the king

Nehemiah responds to the letter by telling him, that they are not doing such a thing, but rather they were making it up in their heads. Then he tells them that while they were trying to scare the people from building the wall, they wouldn't stop but Nehemiah prayed that God would strengthen their hand.

Press on through cover opposition vs. 10-14

A man by the name Shemaiah asked Nehemiah to meet him in the temple because the enemy was on their way to kill him, so they needed to go in the temple with the door shut.

Nehemiah asks how he can go in the temple and live

Non- priests enter the temple on pain of death

Numbers 18:7 “Therefore thou and thy sons with thee shall keep your priest’s office for every thing of the altar, and within the vail; and ye shall serve: I have given your priest’s office unto you as a service of gift: and the stranger that cometh nigh shall be put to death.”

Leviticus 10:1–2 “And Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, took either of them his censer, and put fire therein, and put incense thereon, and offered strange fire before the Lord, which he commanded them not. And there went out fire from the Lord, and devoured them, and they died before the Lord.”

If someone tells you to do exactly what the Bible says not to do, you know that person does not speak for God. So Nehemiah heard this counsel that he should enter the temple, and he responded to it on the basis of what the Bible teaches.

Nehemiah had enough discernment to know that this man was hired by Tobiah and Sanballat

The reason he was hired was so they could catch him sinning against God’s law. If they couldn’t kill him they would try to discredit him. vs. 13

One thing we can learn from Nehemiah is to always leave our enemies for God to handle.

Nehemiah left this matter in God’s hands. He did not plan a counter-attack on his enemies. He did pray for God to do justice against His enemies and the enemies of His people.

Press on to finish the work vs. 15 -19

What an amazing accomplishment, the wall that was broken down was rebuilt and finished in 52 days

When word got around that they had rebuilt the wall, their enemies were intimidated and lost confidence.

Notice the last part of verse 16 “They perceived that this work was wrought of our God”

Without God’s help they never would have finished the wall

God was at work on behalf of the people, so Nehemiah explained back in 2:8 that the good hand of his God was upon him. Then, in 2:12 he said that God had put it in his heart to do this for Jerusalem, and he told the people in 2:20 that the God of heaven would make them prosper. Then in 4:15 he said that God had frustrated the plans of the enemy. In 4:20 he told the people that God would fight for them. Now it has come to pass. The wall has been built. The work has been done with the help of God.

When people look at our church we should want them like the enemies of Jerusalem realize that only God could do an amazing work like this.

In verse 17-19 we see the problem with intermarrying for the Jews.

The nobles only saw one side of the story as they sent letter’s to Tobiah who was threatening Nehemiah and the work he was doing for God.

The people would need some help discerning and now that the wall was rebuilt Nehemiah would now rebuild the people with God.

One commentary said this “In order for God’s people to experience the blessing of Abraham and to be the blessing of all the families of the earth, they have to be holy. They have to be set apart to God. In order for them to be holy they have to know who they are as a people. That’s why these genealogical lists of names matter, and that’s why the problem of intermarriage threatens everything the returnees are trying to accomplish.”

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