Building Up Through Opposition
Blueprint for God's Kingdom • Sermon • Submitted
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· 8 viewsContinuing in the series we are looking at how through the building process we begin to see opposition to it. Tactics such as mockery, confusion and outright attack will be used to oppose the work God has set out for us. It is up to us to continue working together alongside God while asking for protection from Him so we may persevere in doing what is right.
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Introduction
Introduction
God has allowed Nehemiah to return from a strange land to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem.
We have talked about how we can glorify the Lord through joining him in making “May your kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven” a reality while looking at the story of Nehemiah. (We offer our lives and the Lord guides, strengthens and equips us to do the work).
Who is Sanballat?
Baker Encyclopedia of the Bible Sanballat
Sanballat. Leading political official of Samaria residing at Beth-horon in Ephraim. In a letter from Elephantine of Egypt, Sanballat was named as the governor of Samaria in 407 BC.
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It is here where we see the first form of opposition to the work of Nehemiah.
The opposition of ridicule ()
The opposition of ridicule ()
Playing basketball against my nephew when we were much younger. He was and is much better than I am, but I often resorted to other measures.
Attempt to tap into our insecurities.
saying in front of his friends and the Samarian army officers, “What does this bunch of poor, feeble Jews think they’re doing? Do they think they can build the wall in a single day by just offering a few sacrifices? Do they actually think they can make something of stones from a rubbish heap—and charred ones at that?”
Tobiah the Ammonite, who was standing beside him, remarked, “That stone wall would collapse if even a fox walked along the top of it!”
Neh 4.
Make us hesitate in the work in which we are currently involved.
Appropriate response is for our security and trust to be in the Lord and his judgement, not our own sense of justice. (v. 4)
How many times have we, myself included, fallen to the trap of sitting on the throne of judge? The majority of times in our lives, it is not up to us to decide what the “just” thing to do is. It is our role to keep working faithfully while handing frustrations over to the Lord. God is holy and he will not let evil go unpunished or injustice prevail.
Trusting the Lord allows us to redirect our energy from fighting the opposition and move it towards continuing the work the Lord has entrusted to us.
At last the wall was completed to half its height around the entire city, for the people had worked with enthusiasm.
But as the work continues to progress the enemy will take a different tactic to oppose God’s work.
The opposition of confusion ()
The opposition of confusion ()
The opposition of confusion ()
The opposition of confusion ()
When ridicule isn’t enough, the enemy takes it a step further.
Encyclopedia of 7700 Illustrations 783 Satan’s Strategy
783 Satan’s Strategy
In a remarkable book published some years ago, Canon Roger Lloyd an archdemon instructs subordinates on an ancient and effective piece of satanic strategy. “Insert yourself into the simple situations which call for plain and obvious duties,” urges this devil, “and complicate them, and complicate them again, until at last no one involved in them can make sense of the confusion.”
In team sports, there is no easier opponent than the team who cannot work together. When there is confusion it is significantly harder to work as a cohesive unit.
Nehemiah’s response was to pray, but also to keep watch.
The opposition of destruction ()
The opposition of destruction ()
Not some form of spiritualized attack, but an actual physical threat to life.
Nehemiah’s response is a key strategy as he focuses on two aspects
So I placed armed guards behind the lowest parts of the wall in the exposed areas. I stationed the people to stand guard by families, armed with swords, spears, and bows.
Neh 4.
By families
In the vulnerable areas
Conclusion
Conclusion
I hope you have been able to notice my broad term of “the enemy” as I have progressed throughout this sermon. I hope we have been reminded by the Spirit
For our battle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the world powers of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavens.
Jesus reminds us that
It is important for us to remember that Jesus went through all these forms of opposition and rose victoriously. Through the resurrection of Christ and the now presence of the Holy Spirit in us we can have the same victory.
The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.
But it is important for us to remember that Jesus went through all these forms of opposition and rose victoriously. Through the resurrection of Christ we have been given who and what is necessary for victory through the presence of the Holy Spirit in us.
By keeping our trust in the Lord regardless of our insecurities we can say like Paul
Read from “So to keep me from...”
even though I have received such wonderful revelations from God. So to keep me from becoming proud, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger from Satan to torment me and keep me from becoming proud.
Three different times I begged the Lord to take it away. Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me. That’s why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me. That’s why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
God has given us ample advice through Paul’s writings on how to keep watch.
It is important for us to remember that Jesus went through all these forms of opposition and rose victoriously. Through the resurrection of Christ and the now presence of the Holy Spirit in us we can have the same victory.
Dear brothers and sisters, if another believer is overcome by some sin, you who are godly should gently and humbly help that person back onto the right path. And be careful not to fall into the same temptation yourself.
For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. And some people, craving money, have wandered from the true faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows.
Keep a close watch on how you live and on your teaching. Stay true to what is right for the sake of your own salvation and the salvation of those who hear you.
Keep watch by families
Keep watch in the most vulnerable areas of our lives.