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Intro: If we were to study the history of the church this morning it wouldn’t take us long to come to the understanding that persecution went hand and hand with Christianity throughout the ages. In the first 300 years of the churches history, there were 10 persecutions by the Romans. From Christ, all the way through the Apostles death became the common theme of being a Christian. We went through a time historically where the church was publically attacked, but it resulted in the opposite of what was intended. While Satan thought that his pursuit of Christians using governments as a roaring lion was the ticket to stop it, he realized that it only fueled it like putting dried wood on a fire. So he shifted his tactics, to an offering as an angel of light… With it his attacks on Christ’s New Testament church took a much more subtle approach, and his new approach, believe it or not, he has found much more success.

The greatest attack on today’s Biblical Christianity is not political although it can be, it is not personal although at times it can be, it is religious, much like it was in the time of Christ. What I mean by that, is that today’s greatest threat to Biblical Christianity is “illegitimate Christianity”. At-least that is the case here in the United States of America.

The attacks are not outward like they were for those many years through physical persecution. The attacks are inward… I’d love to say they are all spiritual, but they are really more like attacks on the inwards aspects of our flesh. Our pride… acceptance… reputation… or status… He doesn’t have to use physical tactics, because the inward attach has proven to be far more effective.

Historically, we went from a time when if you shared Christ with someone you might die, or be thrown in prison like the 60 million bible believing Christians who died for their faith that went on before us.

Today, it is this… If you share Christ, you might lose your job, or what will your friends think of you…

When for a time, Satan’s tactic was to attack and the church physically through the slaughter of believers, his tactics today have changed. I’m not saying that doesn’t still happen in places...

Today, in America, it is far more effective for him to kill the church, by helping it be complacent, lazy, rich, socially oriented, and accepted.

The church is bland… It is watered down it it’s theology all in the name of accommodation to the world, and it has proven to be far more effective then if we were all thrown into a den of lions.

In the book of Nehemiah, they had already overcome so much trouble… They have already overcome so much to arrive at the place that they are right now. Enemies from without, enemies from within, fear, stress, anxiety, weariness, you name it… but in all things he persevered!

1. Today, I want us to consider what happens when we Rise up and Build overcoming our obstacles.

(vs. 15)

In-spite of everything Nehemiah had to face the walls of the city were finished...

Think about it… after being destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, left in rubble for years smoldering in piles of rubbish and flames… It only took the children of Israel 52 days to rebuild the walls...

How long does it take to build a house today? Ever since...

2 Kings 25:8–10 KJV 1900

And in the fifth month, on the seventh day of the month, which is the nineteenth year of king Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, came Nebuzar-adan, captain of the guard, a servant of the king of Babylon, unto Jerusalem: And he burnt the house of the Lord, and the king’s house, and all the houses of Jerusalem, and every great man’s house burnt he with fire. And all the army of the Chaldees, that were with the captain of the guard, brake down the walls of Jerusalem round about.

Ever since that day, the walls have been as a heap… But Nehemiah and the children of Israel, it only took 52 days.