Sermon Tone Analysis

*I’m Still Going to Build*

*Neh.4:1-15*

Scene 1

The Jews are making progress rebuilding the wall, but opposition arises from the same haters to hinder their completion of the wall.

Hateraid Tactics: I.R.P.

 

§  Intimidation- the enemy compels you to submit to his will by threats; he induces fear or sense of inferiority to frighten you into submission.

§  Ridicule – Shakespeare called ridicule “paper bullets of the brain,” but those bullets have slain many a warrior.

Ridicule is when the enemy attempts to paralyze your progression with verbal slander to induce shame.

§  Psychological Warfare – when the enemy attempts to control your thought life with illusions and lies; he’ll cause you to see things that are not really there.

Nehemiah’s response was not typical, normally when we are attack in such a way we have a tendency to fight fire with fire.

I am reminded of the Civil Rights movement when people were standing up against the brutalities of racism; the people that stood up were being violently attacked, they were subjected to brutal beatings by those who were suppose to uphold the law, their homes were bombed, their churches were bombed, and they were brutalized and lynched.

But one man stood up and prophetically declared that we are not going to use hate and violence against those who oppose us, but we’re going to use soul force to defeat physical force, were going to defeat hate with love, we’re going to pray for those despitefully use us.

Nehemiah did not respond to these satanic attacks with carnal methods, but he responded with:

 

§  Prayer to his God (vv.4-5).

In opposing the Jews, Sanballat and his cronies were actually opposing God.

And God had already pronounced judgment on Israel’s enemies so Nehemiah was praying according to God’s will—that God would deliver Jerusalem from her enemies (Josh.

1:5).

Nehemiah’s prayer was also based on God’s promise to Abraham, Gen.12:3 /“I// will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”/

Paul said in Gal.3:29 “And if you /are/ Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.

In this we see the power of  the Abrahamic covenant that we inherited through Christ and the power of prayer exemplified in the life of Nehemiah.

/“//For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds,// //casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God,”/ (2Cor.10:4-5a).

Nehemiah did not only pray, sometimes we pray and then wait for something to happen but Nehemiah was

 

§  Persistent in the work God sent him to do.

(v.6/) “//So we built the wall, and the entire wall was joined together up to half its height, for the people had a mind to work./

We have to learn how to go on resolutely with tenacity and resolve.

The things people say may /hurt /us, but they can never /harm/ us, unless we let them get into our system and poison us.

If we spend time pondering the enemy’s words, we will give Satan a foothold from which he can launch another attack closer to home.

The best thing to do is to pray and commit the whole thing to the Lord; and then /get back to your work!/ Anything that keeps you from doing what God has called you to do will only help the enemy.

Despite what was going on the people had a mind (heart) to work.

In these last days God is calling for a people who have a mind and a heart for ministry.

Some of you have been outcast and black sheep all your life and that’s because God has made you different, people call you weird but God calls you creative.

And now that you have submitted your creativeness to the service of the Lord fleshly folk mock you and poke fun at your praise and your commitment to God, but don’t stop building!

If you stop building the enemy wins!

But if you keep building in the face of opposition it confuses and frustrates the enemy!

Scene 2

 

When Sanballat and Tobiah and their cronies heard that the people of God progressed in building the wall they became angry and they regrouped to re-strategize their attack.

The goal of Satan is to create confusion so that he can kill the work.

Satan is identified by his works and one way we can discern where the devil is at work is the presence of confusion.

1 Cor.14:33 /“//For God is not the author of confusion but of peace.”/

When you are doing a work for God the devil will plot and plan to undermine the work, he’ll stir up lies and slander to creative confusion because confusion frustrates purpose.

When confusion reigns people are distracted from the work and their minds are arrested with folly.

But we must respond to confusion with prayer and focus, and we must remember that the Lord is great and awesome, and it is He who has called us to this good work and He will insure that we complete what He sent us to do.

So let the enemy stir up confusion, I’m still going to build, let the enemy stir up strife, I’m still going to build, let the enemy ridicule and mock us, I’m still going to build, let the enemy slander, and blaspheme, and curse, I’m still going to build; we a weapon in one hand and a tool in the other, I’m still going to build!