Overcoming Obstacles to God's Work Together! Part 2

Welcome

Good Morning! I’m Pastor Wayne and I’d like to welcome you all to the gathering of Ephesus Baptist Church.

Why did you choose to gather today? We believe we are a called people! Called to worship and exalt our God among the nations in order that His glory may be spread over all the earth!

If you are visiting with us this morning, we want you to know that ...

We are all one family of faith: “giving our all to love God, love people, proclaim Jesus, and make disciples in our generation.”

We have a connect card in the pew in front of you. I invite you to take one and fill it out! If you have prayer needs, you can let us know about those as well.

I promise, our prayer team will lift you up soon. You can place those cards in the offering plate when it comes around.

Scripture Memory

Romans 8:31 ESV

31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?

Romans 8:32 ESV

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?

Romans 8:33 ESV

33 Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies.

Opening Scripture Reading

Romans 12:9–18 ESV

9 Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. 10 Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. 11 Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. 12 Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. 13 Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality. 14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. 15 Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. 16 Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight. 17 Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. 18 If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.

Opening Prayer

Introduction

For the last several weeks, we have watched as Nehemiah and his Jewish brethren are discovering the painful, yet spiritually beneficial truth that there is no such thing as opportunity without opposition.

There is no opportunity from heaven without opposition from hell. Satan will place obstacle after obstacle in our path to hinder the work of God in our lives and in the lives of others.

In the process of rebuilding the wall around Jerusalem, Nehemiah faced a number of opposing obstacles from the enemy.

How do you view obstacles and opposition when you are trying to accomplish something in life?

Have you ever heard someone say, “God opened a door,” or “God closed a door of ministry for me.”

Do you think Nehemiah would have concluded that God was opening a door of ministry for him based on the size and scope of the rebuilding project, the ridicule, the opposition, and the obstacles that he would have to overcome?

What would you have thought if you were in his sandals?

I am convinced that if we had been in Nehemiah's shoes, we would have concluded that God had "closed the door," because the obstacles and opposition were so great.

There is just not an easy, free flowing path to move forward and keep life comfortable. Yes, I believe many of us would have thrown in our towels in the face of the obstacles and opposition in front of Nehemiah.

But Nehemiah did not throw in his towel, he did not quit, and he did not see this as a closed door.

He, rightly saw the obstacles and opposition as hurdles that had to be overcome in order to bring his heavenly Father great Glory by accomplishing work God had called him to.

Ephesus, as we become involved in serving the Lord and "building the walls" of our personal or corporate Christian witness we will surely face many obstacles and much opposition.

If we pay close attention, Nehemiah will demonstrate how to appropriately utilize our shield of faith that we discussed last week.

Obstacles to God’s work are inevitable. We have to expect them and be spiritually prepared to overcome them when they raise their ugly head!

Today, Nehemiah provides us a great example to follow as we learn how to overcome obstacles to God’s work together as we trust God and determine in our hearts to continue His work together, no matter what the obstacle.

This morning we are going to look at two great principles of the Christian faith that will help us to fight the good fight of faith as we seek to overcome obstacles to God’s work together.

Truths to help you overcome obstacles to God’s work!

Join me in Nehemiah chapter 4, as we read from verse 6 through verse 23 together. Please stand in honor of the reading of God’s magnificent word!

Nehemiah 4:6–23 ESV

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. 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.” 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. 16 From that day on, half of my servants worked on construction, and half held the spears, shields, bows, and coats of mail. And the leaders stood behind the whole house of Judah, 17 who were building on the wall. Those who carried burdens were loaded in such a way that each labored on the work with one hand and held his weapon with the other. 18 And each of the builders had his sword strapped at his side while he built. The man who sounded the trumpet was beside me. 19 And I said to the nobles and to the officials and to the rest of the people, “The work is great and widely spread, and we are separated on the wall, far from one another. 20 In the place where you hear the sound of the trumpet, rally to us there. Our God will fight for us.” 21 So we labored at the work, and half of them held the spears from the break of dawn until the stars came out. 22 I also said to the people at that time, “Let every man and his servant pass the night within Jerusalem, that they may be a guard for us by night and may labor by day.” 23 So neither I nor my brothers nor my servants nor the men of the guard who followed me, none of us took off our clothes; each kept his weapon at his right hand.

Prayer

Nehemiah 4:6 ESV

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.

So the wall is built to half its height.

Do you see how God is continually favoring the faith and determination of His people as they pray and work to complete the restoration of Jerusalem? Yes God’s favor is surely on display here.

Nehemiah’s wisdom is also on display as it was wiser to finish all the parts of the wall to half the intended height than it would have been to build some sections to full height while others remained open.

Great opportunity lay ahead of God’s people as they trust in Him and have a mind to work. They have been faithful and in roughly a month have completed the walls to half their intended height.

It is at this precise moment that believers need to be on guard against the enemy. Opportunity leads to opposition. That is the case here as well as we encounter our first principle. Most of you have already encountered this principle in you life.

1. Initial success is often followed by increased opposition.

Satan’s three stooges have been busy laughing at the Jews. They had engaged them with a war of words, by mocking and insulting them. I am sure that when they left Jerusalem they felt victorious.

After a couple of weeks, when Sanballat and his friends realized that their ridicule was not successful in stopping the work on the wall, their anger greatly increased, and their diabolic plans escalated.

Nehemiah 4:7–8 ESV

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.

Just like most bullies, they had to find a few friends to stand with them against the smaller, weaker object of their bullying.

Sanballat had succeeded in enlisting others in his evil alliance. Jerusalem was now surrounded on all sides by enemies: the Samaritans on the north, the Ammonites on the east, the Arabians on the south, and the men of Ashdod on the west.

We aren’t clear about how serious this alliance was about actually fighting and killing the men of Israel.

The fact that this impressive group didn’t even strike a single blow suggests that ‘the king’s letters’ mentioned in (2:9) prevented them from putting a bite to their bark because of their fear of Persian reprisals.

But their plotting, whether serious or not, clearly included the threat of impending raids, and had to be taken seriously.

The thing is: Nehemiah didn’t know how serious they were when the threat got back to him. Do you know how he responded?

Nehemiah 4:9 ESV

9 And we prayed to our God and set a guard as a protection against them day and night.

A. He had the people pray.

Nehemiah trusted God to fight for His people.

B. He took precautions.

Prayer was never a last resort for Nehemiah. He set a guard as a precautionary protection day and night to help warn of a surprise attack.

C. He kept working.

The people continued to work on the walls.

2. Discouragement and fear are two obstacles to God’s work that must be countered by determined action and faith.

The continued threats of opponents combined with the bone-wearying work was wearing down the enthusiasm of the workers. They had been working for about a month, and the wall was only about half the height intended.

Talk about glass half empty folks. Their glass was half full but to them it seemed half empty because discouragement and fear were creeping into their lives. Internal issues can be more problematic than threats from those outside.

Enthusiasm may be contagious, but discouragement tends to be destructive. To add to the growing malaise about the work, their enemies continued their psychological warfare, sowing rumors of a surprise attack with the intent to kill them and put an end to the work. Nehemiah was facing a crisis among his people.

Nehemiah 4:10–11 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.”

Apparently concerned relatives and friends were coming to Jerusalem to encourage their husbands and sons to leave the wall and return home where they would be safe. Nehemiah faced the work ending before it was finished if he didn’t act quickly and wisely.

Nehemiah 4:12 ESV

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.”

“You’ll never make it. You won’t survive. They have you surrounded and outnumbered.” Talk about a fine group of people full of heartwarming encouragement.

What has brought on these feelings of discouragement?

Satan’s old ways of sowing doubt in our minds are by pointing out to us.

The overwhelming size of our task.

The amount of physical and emotional exhaustion.

The results are not as desired.

The ridicule from those who don’t understand.

The many attempts by others to stop God’s work.

The distraction from our own problems.

The lack of support we have from others.

The sense of being disconnected.

The fear of death.

Nehemiah’s response in this rough situation was helpful and inspiring.

Nehemiah 4:13–14 ESV

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’s response was strategic and involved definite action.

He slowed the pace of the work as he positioned some for defense.

He grouped the people by families in an effort to strengthen their motivation to fight.

He called the people to remember what they had already accomplished for God and what God had done for them. Remember that He is Great and Awesome!

Do not be afraid of them. Fight!

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.”

Nehemiah’s people continued to work, they continued to be prepared to fight if they must! In doing so, God used them to frustrate the plan of the enemy.

Nehemiah 4:15–19 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. 16 From that day on, half of my servants worked on construction, and half held the spears, shields, bows, and coats of mail. And the leaders stood behind the whole house of Judah, 17 who were building on the wall. Those who carried burdens were loaded in such a way that each labored on the work with one hand and held his weapon with the other. 18 And each of the builders had his sword strapped at his side while he built. The man who sounded the trumpet was beside me. 19 And I said to the nobles and to the officials and to the rest of the people, “The work is great and widely spread, and we are separated on the wall, far from one another.

Some might argue that this is evidence that instead of trusting in God, Nehemiah was trusting in his own strategies and the military might of the Israelites.

But listen to the next verse...

Nehemiah 4:20 ESV

20 In the place where you hear the sound of the trumpet, rally to us there. Our God will fight for us.”

“Our God will fight for us!”

A. Overcoming obstacles requires trusting God to fight for us.

Enemies are great and numerous, but it does not matter if God is on our side!

CRU illustration:

I loved CCC, but I don’t recognize its new look.

CRU held their national conference, CRU19, in Ft. Collins, Colorado two weeks ago from July 19-25.

One of the keynote speakers, Sandra Van Opstal, a female Chicago pastor and a social justice activist.

Does anything good come from Chicago?

Opstal taught that the solution to our problems is to “preach the good news of liberating freedom,” to learn from “black, brown, Asian, and Native lived experiences,” and ultimately to read the Bible through the lens of the oppressed.

Quote “Jesus Came to start a revolution against injustice.”

This is not the Gospel of Jesus Christ!

Our enemy is actively seeking to devour all of us that he can.

Romans 8:31 ESV

31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?

So the people continued to work on the wall. They trusted that God would fight for them if they needed Him. That is overcoming faith Church! But it was not faith that came without precautions.

B. Overcoming obstacles requires determined, persistent,and persevering action.

Nehemiah 4:21–23 ESV

21 So we labored at the work, and half of them held the spears from the break of dawn until the stars came out. 22 I also said to the people at that time, “Let every man and his servant pass the night within Jerusalem, that they may be a guard for us by night and may labor by day.” 23 So neither I nor my brothers nor my servants nor the men of the guard who followed me, none of us took off our clothes; each kept his weapon at his right hand.

It is important that we have precautions in our daily battle with the unholy trinity of the world, our flesh, and Satan. We must be prepared for attack at all times. Are we?

Are we prepared for battle each day?

To win our daily spiritual battles we must wake up each morning determined to press on with persistence and perseverance. That determination must continue from Sun up until the stars come out!

A Few Final Reminders:

1. Obstacles to God’s work are inevitable.

2. Prayer should be our immediate response when we face and obstacle to God’s work in our lives.

3. Our prayers should always be followed by wise determined actions.

4. A vision of determined action requires not only that we see what needs to be done, but that we also see the potential obstacles that stand against us.

5. Overcoming obstacles to God’s work requires persistence and perseverance.

Closing Prayer

Invitation

Join the battle!

Join the Family!

Rededicate yourselves to fight the good fight of faith!

Press on with determined faith and action!

Room at the Cross

Hymn No. 315

or

Onward Christian Soldiers