Building, Protecting, Persevering

Welcome

Again Happy Fathers day

Now I understand this is different for each of us

some of us are still blessed with our fathers here

some are blessed with the memories of our fathers

and some may not have a good impression of their fathers

but let us all remember that no matter how our fathers day

is remembered

we can still find love and support from those around us

and, we have a heavenly father that loves us

and is always there for us to guide us

and support us, no matter what

In a time when it seems being a man is

tough, and masculinity is somehow toxic

We can persevere as fathers and men

for those around us

because trust me, it can be hard being a man and a father

bills

work

life

there is constant doubt as to whether we are good enough

But we do have a great responsibility in that

today we are speaking to the men

but ladies your not off the hook

much of what we discuss this morning includes you as well

so when you hear saying men

you can apply it yourself as well

Now We have been working our way diligently through the Gospel of John

So with that I feel comfortable taking time some weeks to

speak to certain things

and this week is well, fathers day

So we are going to take a break from John

We will pick back up in his gospel next week

Which means this morning our main text will be Neh chapter 4

But also find your place to Eph 6 as well

we will be moving between both of these passages this morning

So, lets get right to

and please stand for the reading of our scripture

we will just read Neh for now, but find your way to Eph 6 when you have time

Building, Protecting, Persevering

Nehemiah 4:11–23 CSB

11 And our enemies said, “They won’t realize it until we’re among them and can kill them and stop the work.” 12 When the Jews who lived nearby arrived, they said to us time and again, “Everywhere you turn, they attack us.” 13 So I stationed people behind the lowest sections of the wall, at the vulnerable areas. I stationed them by families with their swords, spears, and bows. 14 After I made an inspection, I stood up and said to the nobles, the officials, and the rest of the people, “Don’t be afraid of them. Remember the great and awe-inspiring Lord, and fight for your countrymen, your sons and daughters, your wives and homes.” 15 When our enemies heard that we knew their scheme and that God had frustrated it, every one of us returned to his own work on the wall. 16 From that day on, half of my men did the work while the other half held spears, shields, bows, and armor. The officers supported all the people of Judah, 17 who were rebuilding the wall. The laborers who carried the loads worked with one hand and held a weapon with the other. 18 Each of the builders had his sword strapped around his waist while he was building, and the one who sounded the trumpet was beside me. 19 Then I said to the nobles, the officials, and the rest of the people, “The work is enormous and spread out, and we are separated far from one another along the wall. 20 Wherever you hear the sound of the trumpet, rally to us there. Our God will fight for us!” 21 So we continued the work, while half of the men were holding spears from daybreak until the stars came out. 22 At that time, I also said to the people, “Let everyone and his servant spend the night inside Jerusalem, so that they can stand guard by night and work by day.” 23 And I, my brothers, my servants, and the men of the guard with me never took off our clothes. Each carried his weapon, even when washing.

Let us Pray

Illustration

This week I built a privacy fence with my Dad and Son

And as we were working

i started to think about my son

and all the things young men and young ladies are faced with

this day in age

then I looked at the fence

looked at my boy

and started thinking how are we to protect our young ones

from all that they are exposed to

how are we to protect our family

So somewhere between building the fence and thinking about this

I though about About Neh and his wall

See Jer had wondered far away from God

and began to follow and worship other Gods

So much so that this led to them being conquered and sent into

captivity by the Babylonions

So, after many years they began to return to Jerusalem

and when they returned of course they found it in ruins

and they also found they still had many enemies

So the first thing they were to do was to rebuild the walls

in order to protect those they love from their enemies

Now there is no doubt our country and society has fallen away from God

just like the Israelites did

and that in and of itself has created many enemies

and the biggest thing the enemies are after

are our families

to say it more bluntly

we are in a war for our families

Which go me thinking about Father hood

See, today is father day,

And men are so important today

and today, it seems as though there are less and less men

and many moms are having to do both of the jobs

and you all are superhero’s

But

Men, we are called to be at the forefront of this war

The world out there is set on devouring our families

…. Set on taking our children away

… Set on destroying our marriages

… Set on corrupting us

… and set on taking us down

Now the purpose of a fence or wall is to

keep things in

and keep things out

the purpose of a fence is protect

defend

and provide security

And this exactly what the walls of Jerusalem were to do

See, those walls protected what was inside

and what is inside was theirs and what is is our most treasured possession

our family

So fathers, grandfather, and well this really this applies to everyone

just as Neh had to protect what was inside by building a wall

we must protect our families by building a wall around them to protect them

from the evil in this world

then, teach them to navigate in that world

Only the battle today isn’t a conventional battle

its not a battle where we can load up our guns

and march out to something we can see

it is not a battle over land or political boarders

it is not a battle where physical strength can help us

This is a Spiritual War

flip over to Eph 6 please

Lets read v 11 and 12

Ephesians 6:11–12 “11 Put on the full armor of God so that you can stand against the schemes of the devil. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this darkness, against evil, spiritual forces in the heavens.”

As we just read, the world is under the influence of the devil

The bible in Eph 2:2 calls him the ruler of the power of the air

The bible says that he is the ruler of this world

See this world has gotten more and more

secular, Godless, and corrupt by the minute

and I think we could all agree that this world we are living in is nothing like the world we grew up in

and that is because the devil is getting his grip deeper and deeper

he’s made his way into every aspect of life

and I believe this world is truly under the influence of the spiritual powers

and forces that he commands

Now with that said, we serve a God that is bigger and greater than anything the devil can throw at us

for those of us that believe we know that we have the answer to winning this war

the answer to defeating the enemy

and the answer to protecting our families

and that answer is found in the trinity

in God the father

Jesus Christ

and the Holy Spirit

and while we know satan may have control of the world now

Jesus will be coming back to reclaim it

and until then we are to fight this battle

not with our hands or tools

but with spiritual weapons

And just how God put Neh on that wall with men and weapons

God is putting us on this wall with spiritual weapons

and as we fight we must realize

that we must keep one eye on the wall

and one eye on the enemy

And we are to do that by

Building

Protecting

and Persevering with our families

Which just so happen to be our 3 points this morning as well as our Sermon Title

So lets get started

Our first point this morning is

Building (V11-14)

One of the first things we can draw from this text is the fact that the enemy plans to attack when least expected

thats why v11 says “They won’t realize it until we’re among them and can kill them and stop the work.”

See their enemies were planning a sneak attack, they were waiting for the opportune moment

they believed they could undermine the work of the people and kill them

And it’s just like that today

see the enemy tries to sneak these things in

the enemy tries to destroy us without us even knowing it

when we dont expect it

Thats why the world wants to keep us

so busy

so distracted

so preoccupied

they want us separated

the enemy wants to destroy the family

and the world uses things like video games

social media

temptations

what ever it can to get its grasp on us

and our kids

so that they slowly fade

so that we never see it coming

the worlds ideas, ideologies, everything

just slowly seeps in right under our noses

Now, V12 tells us they realized this was happening and they called out

they asked for help

they said time and time again they attack us

See most of us know this war is here,

we just don’t fully recognize it

but just like the Israelites did here

they saw the warnings

and while they didn’t know when the attack would happen

They recognized it was a constant threat

So what happened, they called out to Neh

And Neh went on the defensive and he began to re-build the wall

he prepared them by building up their defenses

Nehemiah 4:13–14 “13 So I stationed people behind the lowest sections of the wall, at the vulnerable areas. I stationed them by families with their swords, spears, and bows. 14 After I made an inspection, I stood up and said to the nobles, the officials, and the rest of the people, “Don’t be afraid of them. Remember the great and awe-inspiring Lord, and fight for your countrymen, your sons and daughters, your wives and homes.””

Lets look at a couple of things here

See Neh strategically put people in places that was essential for their defense

and he stationed them by their families

brothers and sisters, our families

are our first ministry

our families are our first defense

our families should be our biggest priority

for the family unit to survive

and God puts mothers and fathers in specific roles

in order to uphold that family unit

He also said to not be afraid of them, and to remember the AWE inspiring Lord

and my one of my favorite verse this morning so I am going to read it again

Neh said to fight for your

countrymen, that is us our congregation

our brothers and sisters in christ

our sons and daughters

our offspring

the very thing that brings us so much love

and then for our wives and households

and that is the basis of the family unit

And how are we to fight for them?

well some say the best offense is a good defense

Lets move back over to Ephesians 6:14 “14 Stand, therefore, with truth like a belt around your waist, righteousness like armor on your chest,”

We fight for our families by teaching them how to defend

And build their walls with the belt of truth and the breastplate of righteousness

Flip over to Eph 6 v14 again

where Pauls uses a Romans armor and clothing

to describe Gods armor

that we are to use against evil

The first for building a defense is The Belt of Truth

The belt is the first thing a roman would put on when putting on his armor

and it is the first thing we must put on as well

and these belts were thick, heavy, the cornerstone

see, the belt is what held everything else together

for the rest of the armor was secured to this belt

and this, for us, is truth

See the devil and this world has twisted the truth

into lies and half lies

and our families are constantly attacked on this front

they are told,

do whatever makes you feel good

follow your heart

everything is ok, do what you want

everything is relative

is there really such a thing as truth

does God really exist?

us as well as the next generation are bathed with

these lies and distractions

But when we wrap them in the belt of truth

they will know the truth and stand up for that truth

Because truth comes from Gods Word

Men, this is why we must teach our kids God word

and instill in them the truth

because when they know the truth

John 8:32 “32 You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.””

and not only are we to teach it to them

but we must wear the belt of truth ourselves

we must be in Gods word

we must be able to separate truth from lies

Now, along with with the belt of truth we are to be outfitted with the

Breastplate of Righteousness

this would be the second thing a soldier would put on

and the belt would hold this breastplate in place

as well as the scabbard for the sword

This breastplate would be made of bronze or chain mail cover the most vital parts of the body

heart, lungs, and the stomach

Righteousness, or doing what is right,

it is essential for protecting us during spiritual battles

also, the breastplate is what soldiers would used to identify themselves with their allies

just as we are to do with fellow christians

our behavior, our righteousness should be one of the primary ways other believers recognize us

and it is what we are to use to build up the defenses of our family

See our kids and families see all kinds of men on TV

and very few are good examples

most shows represent the father as an dummy

someone who is the joke of the home

they also see men as politicians who are known for their lies

they see men who steal

men who flaunt riches and brag on worldly possessions

men who drink, do drugs

and live sinful lives

this is what our kids and families are exposed to

But what they really need is to be led by

men and fathers of righteousness

men who will live out the Word of God

men who are not afraid to stand for truth

men that are not afraid to be honest

men that are not afraid to work to provide

men that hold to Christian values

Men to live out the christian life

not just talk about it

See when they see us wearing the breastplate of righteousness

they will emulate that

and they will build their defenses against the world

Beloved we are to draw our strength from God’s greatness

we must fight for our families

and build their walls in order to withstand

any attack by the enemy

Because once the walls are built

then they can truly be protected

which brings me to our next point

Protecting (V15-18)

Nehemiah 4:15 “15 When our enemies heard that we knew their scheme and that God had frustrated it, every one of us returned to his own work on the wall.”

See, when we realize the battle we are in

and we trust in God’s provision and intervention

and then we outfit ourselves with the truth and righteousness of God

then we will easily counter the schemes of the evil one

and that is just what happened there and will happen to us today

But just because the battle is won doesn’t mean the war is over

we must continue to be on alert

Nehemiah 4:16–18“16 From that day on, half of my men did the work while the other half held spears, shields, bows, and armor. The officers supported all the people of Judah, 17 who were rebuilding the wall. The laborers who carried the loads worked with one hand and held a weapon with the other. 18 Each of the builders had his sword strapped around his waist while he was building, and the one who sounded the trumpet was beside me.”

See, they balanced their work with their vigilance

while half worked on construction

the other half were armed

See we navigate every single day this world that is against us

and we must assume balance in that in order to truly protect

we must still serve those around us but also be prepared for spiritual battle at any instant

Now, if we build them up through

the belt of truth

and breastplate of righteousness

Then we protect them with

Shield of Faith

and the Helmet of Salvation

Ephesians 6:16–17 “16 In every situation take up the shield of faith with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation

Now the Shield is one of the most important items a soldier would wear

it would protect them against enemy attacks

and here Paul is saying that the shield of faith will protect us from all the flaming arrows of the evil one

again once that wall is built we must continue to protect the family

we must place that shield firmly between the arrows of the devil our children

Our world is full of men who say one thing and live another

the American church is full of men who take their kids to church then live a completely different life as soon as they walk out those doors

and this only confuses the family

this only confuses the kids

it’s like shooting arrows of doubt right at them

See God doesn’t need men who will allow their families to be attacked

but one that will put up that shield

and practice what they hear

God needs men that are so convinced and convicted by their faith that they live it out

God needs men who are brave enough to stand up in a fallen world

men that believe in him

and therefore live for him

Which means we must also put on the Helmet of Salvation

Helmets are essential in battle

it protects our head, our brains

from weapons, projectiles, fists

whatever is thrown at us

and the soldier knows that one significant hit to the head can put you out for the fight

and for this reason the helmet puts the soldier at the most ease than any other piece of armor

Just like Christ does for us

See, we cannot stand in this world unless we have Jesus

unless we trust in him fully for our protection

we can talk about Jesus

we can know about Jesus

but we will fall to the enemy if we don’t belong to Jesus

Men, we are the biggest influencers in the faith of our kids, grandkids, and other kids around us

the statistics on this are overwhelming

its rumored that

when dad comes to church and to christ

the family is %93 more likely to do the same

Men, we are vital to our kids and grandkids eternal destiny

it’s not just about you

God needs men that will place their faith in Christ and lead their families to Christ as well

Because when the father, when the family has Christ in their corner

there there is no doubt they will persevere

which brings us to our final point of the morning

Persevering

Now, so far we have built the wall

and now we are protecting them

whats next is what will stand the test of time

see now, we must teach them to persevere

and we will persevere by coming together

and going on the offensive

Nehemiah 4:19–23 “19 Then I said to the nobles, the officials, and the rest of the people, “The work is enormous and spread out, and we are separated far from one another along the wall. 20 Wherever you hear the sound of the trumpet, rally to us there. Our God will fight for us!”

They were to come together as a collective fighting force

they were to bring their families together

at the sound of Neh trumpet

see they were spread out for the day to day

just like we are through the week

but when the need arose they were to come together

and that is exactly what we must do as a church and as men

we must show unity against those opposed to us and teaching of Christ

when one of us is struggles we must step up and help

We must be ready to support each other

we must show unity as a body

for the little ones without a positive role model in thier lives

for new father

for men that never had a father

we must fill that gap

because divided the family will fall

but we can all rally together under Christ

and the trumpet call

and what does it say God will do when we come together…

He Will Fight For Us

We will persevere because God will fight for us when we come together under his calling

we must go on the offensive against the enemy

by coming together under the banner of Christ

Verse 21 then picks up.. So we continued the work, while half of the men were holding spears from daybreak until the stars came out. 22 At that time, I also said to the people, “Let everyone and his servant spend the night inside Jerusalem, so that they can stand guard by night and work by day.” 23 And I, my brothers, my servants, and the men of the guard with me never took off our clothes. Each carried his weapon, even when washing.”

Not only did they come together to persevere

but they continued together

it wasn’t some short lived fire

they were constantly ready

they worked day and night

in support of each other

Just like we must not only be there for each other

but we must also pray for each other

we must be diligent in the efforts day and night

so that the ones on the inside of the wall are safe

now notice our last verse here

its essentially saying that they never put their weapons down

they had them ready and with them at all times

just like all of the spiritual weapons we have been talking about thus far

we are to always be ready with the

belt of truth

the breastplate of righteousness

the shield of faith

and the helmet of salvation

Which brings us to our final 2 weapons

our offensive weapons that we process

and we are to always keep it sheathed by our side

that is the sword of the spirit

and the shoes of the gospel

Lets flip back to the rest of Ephesians 6:17 “17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit—which is the word of God.”

this is our first offensive weapon

the soldier would use the sword kill and defeat their enemies in attacks

and the word Paul uses here for sword indicates that it was a roman sword

roman swords were short

which meant they were easy to draw

and quick in combat

Which is exactly how we should wield the word of God

see in this same way we are to use God’s word to help us defeat our spiritual enemies during spiritual attacks

We can persevere in the attacks of the enemy by memorizing, understanding, and knowing God’s word

think of Jesus when he was tempted in the wilderness by the devil

he uses scripture each time to overcome the temptation

See, God needs men who will stand

upon the word of God

who will not compromise it

who will charge into the world with the truth

and take back what the enemy is trying to steal

Now, we do that will the sword and the word of God as well as the Gospel

Which is our final offensive weapon as we persevere

Ephesians 6:15 “15 and your feet sandaled with readiness for the gospel of peace.”

Roman soldiers would wear sandals that prepared them for speed and agility

these made them ready to run into battle

now, anyone who has tried to walk around outside barefoot knows that it is hard to get traction and move quickly

it’s the shoes that give us the ability to go places we normally couldn’t

Now, do you know how to drive back the enemy?

how to push them out?

you do this by taking back his territory

we strap on our sandals

and go on the offensive and move into his dominion

and we do this with the Gospel

The gospel is where we find our foundation

that is where we place our footing

and we must take the gospel and go on the offensive

go into the devils territory and take back the ones that he has influence on

take back our families that have drifted

And God needs men that will get up and go

not men to sit on the sidelines

God needs men that will march into the enemies lines and take back our families for Him

Conclusion

Fathers, Grandfathers, Sons, Men

we must protect the family

we must protect our kids

Just as Neh and the people protected Jer from external threats through

vigilance,

preparation

unity

We must protect our families from the spiritual battles

through building them a solid foundation

based upon God

Protecting them from them from the powers of the world

and persevering by taking the world back for Christ

We must keep on hand on the wall protecting

and one eye on the enemy

and we can only do this through the power of God

But you cant fight for a God you don’t believe in

So I encourage you

if you have not trusted in Christ as your Lord and savior

then how do you expect to win the battle against the evil ways of this world

therefore, come to him

And for those of us that have trusted in

We must stay the course

We must protect our christian values at all costs

Let us Pray!