Nehemiah - Remember the Lord is on Your Side

James Watson

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Introduction:

Transition to the text: Nehemiah had a huge task before Him. But up until this point everything seemingly went his way. The King enthusiastically gave him everything he asked for. Even when he arrived in Jerusalem, armed escort and all, it doesn’t seem like it took all that much convincing to get the people to agree to help. Seems like smooth sailing.

This is what many of us wrongly assume that the Christian life will be like. If God is for us, and in control, then we somehow expect everything to go our way.

But it goes deeper than just enduring rough times. This isn’t a “I didn’t get a close parking spot at Costco after church on Super Bowl Sunday. Where was God then?

There was a pivotal book in youth minsitry that came out when I first Got into ministry…written to the young middle schooler trying to explain this concept....”If God loves me why can’t I get my locker open.”

Of course there is also the “When Bad Things Happen to Good People” by Harold Kushner.

The problem is that so many of these well meaning people trying to comfort others. But it’s usually at the expense of God’ sovereignty.

We’ll say things like, “God is just as upset as you are.” or God’s heart is broken just like yours. And we’re left with the thought that “God would stop it if he could, but I guess He can’t”

The problem is that’s not what the BIble says.

The Bible says that not only does allow things to happen, He actually brings them to help us to grow.

That’s how the nation of Israel got into this mess in the first place. They were in exile while the city of the fathers lay in ruin because God was teaching the nation to be obedient. But in spite of this, Nehemiah believed that God not only had the ability to rescue them out of Persian, but he recognized that it was God who sent them there. Remember this is what Nehemiah prayed:

Nehemiah 1:8–10 ESV

8 Remember the word that you commanded your servant Moses, saying, ‘If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the peoples, 9 but if you return to me and keep my commandments and do them, though your outcasts are in the uttermost parts of heaven, from there I will gather them and bring them to the place that I have chosen, to make my name dwell there.’ 10 They are your servants and your people, whom you have redeemed by your great power and by your strong hand.

neh 1:8

Now for the Christian, if we want to see how God uses pain and suffering to bring about great things for His glory, we need only look at the cross. The Son of God dying for the sins of God’s children.

And throughout the BIble time after time we see the people of God experiencing great trouble. And when they trust God, we see amazing things happen.

So probably not the inspirational message you were looking for this morning, but in this life, you will face trouble.

But hold on, because it’s about to get really good.

Read

Nehemiah 4:1–9 ESV

1 Now when Sanballat heard that we were building the wall, he was angry and greatly enraged, and he jeered at the Jews. 2 And he said in the presence of his brothers and of the army of Samaria, “What are these feeble Jews doing? Will they restore it for themselves? Will they sacrifice? Will they finish up in a day? Will they revive the stones out of the heaps of rubbish, and burned ones at that?” 3 Tobiah the Ammonite was beside him, and he said, “Yes, what they are building—if a fox goes up on it he will break down their stone wall!” 4 Hear, O our God, for we are despised. Turn back their taunt on their own heads and give them up to be plundered in a land where they are captives. 5 Do not cover their guilt, and let not their sin be blotted out from your sight, for they have provoked you to anger in the presence of the builders. 6 So we built the wall. And all the wall was joined together to half its height, for the people had a mind to work. 7 But when Sanballat and Tobiah and the Arabs and the Ammonites and the Ashdodites heard that the repairing of the walls of Jerusalem was going forward and that the breaches were beginning to be closed, they were very angry. 8 And they all plotted together to come and fight against Jerusalem and to cause confusion in it. 9 And we prayed to our God and set a guard as a protection against them day and night.

Big Idea: When people come against you, remember Who is for you.

Now like I said

1. Opposition is inevitable. (4:1-9)

Explanation: Woah....I thought you said that this was going to be encouraging! For so long I believed that if I faced anything bad in life it was because God was mad at me and punishing me for something dumb I did. I filtered everything through this lens of my own worth and worthlessness. I deserved what happened because I’m a bad person. From getting bullied to broken hearted, to getting benched on the football team to getting a bad grade on a test…well that actually was the result of something dumb....playing video games instead of studying…but I digress. So the encouragement is that when opposition inevitably comes, I can cling to the truth that God’s not mad at me. This isn’t punishment. Opposition is inevitable. Something else is afoot. And perhaps God is doing something in and through my pain to transform my life for His glory.

Now let’s be clear this passage is specifially related to people. People who become and opposition. And my guess is that this is the hardest of all. Do you have a Sanballat and Tobiah in your life? Can you cling to the truth that God is for you?

Many of us seem surprised when we face opposition…particularly when its with respect to something we thought God was telling us to do. We have this feeling that if God is behind it, it should be easy. I’m not sure where we got this idea from, but it’s not biblical. Every major biblical figure faced opposition. EVERY SINGLE ONE!!!! So rather than being suprised when we face opposition, when we don’t face opposition, it should really cause us to question if we are in fact actually following God’s plan.

Now in the case of Nehemiah and the Israelites, this will not be the first time that they faced opposition. We saw the seed of opposition planted back in chapter 2. But it’s pretty clear that Sanballat and Tobiah didn’t actually think that the Israelite people would go forward with building the wall. Now as the make headway into repairing the city wall, Sanballat and Tobiah come back. And this time, things are about to escalate to the point of violence and death threats.

But it starts out subtly.

It starts out as ridicule. (1-3)

When words don’t work, intimidation comes next. (7-8)

This can lead to violence (11)

But I want us to see something so important. The opposition was somewhat of an illusion. Sure it was there and real and the ridicule, intimidate and threat of violence were very real, but in reality is it was never going to come to any of that.

Illustration: The great preacher John Wesley was riding along on his horse one day when he realized that three days had passed, and he had not been persecuted in any way. Not a single brick had been thrown in his direction. He had not been hit by an egg. So he actually stopped his horse and said out loud, "Could it be that I am backslidden or I have sinned?" Slipping down from his horse, he knelt on one knee and asked the Lord to show him if there was anything wrong with him spiritually.

Daniel 3:24–25 ESV

24 Then King Nebuchadnezzar was astonished and rose up in haste. He declared to his counselors, “Did we not cast three men bound into the fire?” They answered and said to the king, “True, O king.” 25 He answered and said, “But I see four men unbound, walking in the midst of the fire, and they are not hurt; and the appearance of the fourth is like a son of the gods.”

A man who disliked Wesley saw him kneeling in prayer, so he picked up a brick and threw it at him, barely missing the preacher. When Wesley saw the brick fly by, he said, "Thank you, Lord! I know I still have Your presence."

dan 3:

Take one more example:

2 Kings 6:15–18 ESV

15 When the servant of the man of God rose early in the morning and went out, behold, an army with horses and chariots was all around the city. And the servant said, “Alas, my master! What shall we do?” 16 He said, “Do not be afraid, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” 17 Then Elisha prayed and said, “O Lord, please open his eyes that he may see.” So the Lord opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw, and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha. 18 And when the Syrians came down against him, Elisha prayed to the Lord and said, “Please strike this people with blindness.” So he struck them with blindness in accordance with the prayer of Elisha.

So often we don’t see the spiritual reality going around our situation. But God is fighting for us all around us. If we could only see....

So while it was inevitable that Nehemiah and the Israelites would face opposition. Those foolish people didn’t stand a chance against the amazing God that we worship.

Application: So if opposition is inevitable, how can we overcome it?

I think Nehemiah gives us the path.

Praying....Nehemiah prayed so much I’m not sure how he got anything done. Then again he would probably say “I don’t know how you get done anything without prayer.” (, 9)

Planning - Nehemiah also made a plan. (, 15-20)

Persevering - Sometimes you have to get down to business. Power through. (Nehemiah 4:21-23)

Let’s keep reading.

Nehemiah 4:10–14 ESV

10 In Judah it was said, “The strength of those who bear the burdens is failing. There is too much rubble. By ourselves we will not be able to rebuild the wall.” 11 And our enemies said, “They will not know or see till we come among them and kill them and stop the work.” 12 At that time the Jews who lived near them came from all directions and said to us ten times, “You must return to us.” 13 So in the lowest parts of the space behind the wall, in open places, I stationed the people by their clans, with their swords, their spears, and their bows. 14 And I looked and arose and said to the nobles and to the officials and to the rest of the people, “Do not be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your brothers, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your homes.”

Nehemiah

Now my guess is that some of you need to hear vs. 14. You’re facing opposition. Wondering where God has been? Why is God letting this happen? Be encouraged and inspired by God’s word.

Nehemiah 4:14 ESV

14 And I looked and arose and said to the nobles and to the officials and to the rest of the people, “Do not be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your brothers, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your homes.”

neh 4:

Let me read vs. 14 again.

2. But, God is for us. (4:10-14)

Explanation: Remember in chapter 1, we learn that Nehemiah knows His scriptures. He prays by quoting Moses. Now let’s just assume that Nehemiah had spent His life pouring over these stories. He’s read the stories of God’s deliverance out of Egypt in Exodus. He’d read David and Goliath.

He knew that God was the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. Maybe he asked, if then, why not now?

Illustration: This is where the theological rubber meets the road. Some wonder, if God was never going to allow it to come to violence, why not just kill sanballat and Tobiah. Where is the lightning bolt from the sky to take them out. Well biblically speaking that’s not how God works. Take the story of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego in the fiery furnace. Why let them go through that at all? And the answer we get in that story visibly we often miss because we aren’t looking. God didn’t take them out of the fiery furnace but was with them in it.

Daniel 3:24–25 ESV

Take one more example:

2 Kings 6:15–18 ESV

So often we don’t see the spiritual reality going around our situation. But God is fighting for us all around us. If we could only see....

So while it was inevitable that Nehemiah and the Israelites would face opposition. Those foolish people didn’t stand a chance against the amazing God that we worship.

So Nehemiah was probably thinking....My God is so big....My God is so mighty…there’s nothing my God cannot do.

Sanballat and Tobiah? Pshhh....My God crushed nations!!!!!

And what happened? Nothing. Nothing happened. There wasn’t even a fight to be had.

Now we don't’ get all the details, but something happened that not only changed the people of Israel but it changed their enemies approach.

Nehemiah 4:15 ESV

15 When our enemies heard that it was known to us and that God had frustrated their plan, we all returned to the wall, each to his work.

Bullies don’t usually want to fight. They are usually filled with empty words.

Application: Now you might need to be reminded of this beyond today. It sounds good, but it won’t do you any good if you don’t apply it tomorrow. And what is the application?

Remember.

Take and write it on post-it notes and put them on your mirror in the bathroom. In your car. At your office. On your text books if you are in school. Write it above your door as you leave your house....or maybe on the outside as you come home…I don’t know what your life looks like.

Remember the Lord. And as you learn to truth God with the small opposition of a agreesive coworker or an annoying neighbor, you will trust God to deal with the bigger opponents.

Reflection: How does the opposition in your life help you to grow closer to God and grow to be more like Jesus?

Conclusion: Opposition is inevitable, but our God is for His people!!!!

So pray like Nehemiah and walk in those prayers and don’t be afraid of anyone who tries to get in the way.

Now we know opposition will come from the outside, but let’s remember that often our biggest opponent is our own self. How often do we get in the way when knowing the truth we succumb to lies. When rather than trying to see what God is doing in our current situation, we believe the lie that God is angry with us or perhaps even has abandoned us all together.

It is so important that we read our Bibles so that we can get past these lies and see that if the greatest men and women in history experienced the love of God through pain and suffering, let’s not forget the blessing of seeing God’s greatness in our trouble.

Now, let’s return to one more time. There is a New Testament passage that mirrors this really well.

Romans 8:31–37 ESV

31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? 33 Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. 34 Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? 36 As it is written, “For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.” 37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.

: 31-

Our God is great and awesome. And nowhere is that more evident that at the cross.

But the greatest

Conclusion:

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