"Defending the Work" (Whole Service)

Shawnee Bible Church Pastor Jon Gohdes Sunday May 31, 2020 “DEFENDING THE WORK” (Nehemiah 4:1–23) In our world, the reality is following God is not safe. There are some out there who would have us believe that following God only brings benefits—that following God will gain you position and possession. But you and I know better. That’s not to say there are no benefits in following God—there is an eternal store of benefit in following God! However, during our lifetime here on earth, following God means we will collide with the world around us sooner or later. It means we will have conflict with the world around us sooner or later. That’s because the world (the worldly system surrounding us with its own values, goals, ambitions, and practices), is hostile toward God. James put it this way: “…do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore, whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.” (James 4:4) Paul put it this way: “For I want you to know how great a struggle I have on your behalf and for those who are at Laodicea, and for all those who have not personally seen my face, 2 that their hearts may be encouraged, having been knit together in love, and attaining to all the wealth that comes from the full assurance of understanding, resulting in a true knowledge of God’s mystery, that is, Christ Himself, 3 in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. 4 I say this so that no one will delude you with persuasive argument. 5 For even though I am absent in body, nevertheless I am with you in spirit, rejoicing to see your good discipline and the stability of your faith in Christ. 6 Therefore as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, 7 having been firmly rooted and now being built up in Him and established in your faith, just as you were instructed, and overflowing with gratitude. 8 See to it that no one takes you captive [“abducts you”] through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, RATHER than according to Christ. (Colossians 2:1–10) Earlier in Colossians, Paul had already made this stark statement about believers: “…he rescued us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son…” (Colossians 1:13) What do these passages say? They make it abundantly clear that there’s no middle ground: the world stands opposed to God—sometimes in dramatic ways, and many times in subtle ways. In order to face the reality of the Christian life, this must be foremost in our thinking. It has always been this way for God’s people. While our consistent understanding of the Bible leads us to see that we as the church are not the same as the nation of Israel (we see that distinction), it still stands true that God has always had one redeemed people. All humanity has always been divided between those who have saving repentant faith in God and those who are hostile toward God (if only in their heart of hearts). We emphasize this contrast at the beginning of the message today because in Nehemiah 4, the gloves start coming off, and conflict between those who follow God and those who oppose him is coming out front and center! This is seen in the fact that the rebuilding of the city walls requires not only the people to become masons and builders but soldiers. My mind immediately goes back to those perfumers—no sooner did they learn how lay brick and next they have to learn how shoot a bow and arrow! Turn to Nehemiah chapter 4 and read along with me (Nehemiah 4:1–23). Few things are less enjoyable than conflict, amen? The very existence of conflict is due to the fact that we live in a sin-cursed world. I don’t know about you, but the thing I think I am MOST looking forward to about heaven is not any pearly gates or streets of gold, but the fact that there will be no more conflict. Imagine that! No more sin, no more hurt, no more bitterness, no more injustice, no more riots, no more misunderstanding, no more vengeance, no more opposition, no more warring desires and opinions, no more competing visions of what is good!). Things are going to be so different from the world we live in now because perfect righteousness will come. Peter said it best in 2 Peter 3:13. But until that time, we live in the same world that Nehemiah lived in. From Nehemiah chapter 4 we see that in this world… 1) GOD HAS ENEMIES. Nehemiah’s enemies were really God’s enemies. That’s not an understatement. Everyone ultimately has a respose to God, and no one is neutral toward him. That’s exactly how Jesus explained things in Matthew 10:32–39: 32 “Therefore everyone who confesses Me before men, I will also confess him before My Father who is in heaven. 33 But whoever denies Me before men, I will also deny him before My Father who is in heaven. 34 “Do not think that I came to bring peace on the earth; I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. 35 For I came to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; 36 and a man’s enemies will be the members of his household. 37 “He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; and he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. 38 And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. 39 He who has found his life will lose it, and he who has lost his life for My sake will find it. It is not just an Old Testament phenomenon that people hated God and his nation Israel—that pattern has continued throughout all human history. But the broader point Jesus makes in Matthew 10 is that true faith in God is ultimately a line that runs through all of humanity. It is a line of demarcation for every individual—you have either crossed over the line and are reconciled to God, or you remain on the default side of the line in hostility toward God. Jesus’ most sobering comments reveal that the line runs even through some of our own homes. I think Nehemiah’s life powerfully demonstrates the reality that faith and friendship with God are inseparable from love and worship of God. But the flipside is true: rejection and hostility toward God are indicative of a heart that does not love or worship God. That’s why God has enemies. In that way, the gospel divides all humanity. The unredeemed world is hostile to God. The unrelenting devil is hostile to God. The unrepentant human heart is hostile to God. We I think we see this clearly on display in Nehemiah’s conflict in chapter 4. Secondly, we see… 2) GOD’S ENEMIES OPPOSE HIS WORK (VV. 1–3, 7–8) Nehemiah’s enemies were really opposed to God. I think we can safely say God’s work is opposed when God himself is opposed. Notice the interesting contrast between Zerubbabel’s day and Nehemiah’s day some 70 years later. You’ll remember the initial attempt at intrigue in Ezra 4:1–3. Now, observe when Nehemiah first comes on the scene in Nehemiah 2:10, 19. Sanballat, Tobiah, and the boys resort to intimidation right off the bat! Notice in the text: They were internally angry (read 4:1, 7) They were verbally hostile (read 4:2–3) They were physically violent (read 4:8) We see in these men what the heart that does not worship God will resort to: Notice the progression: anger (heart) to ridicule (words) to violence (actions) Let me say something to the angry people among us for a moment. All of us need to honestly answer the question whether we are angry people. And there’s really only one answer… David Powlison wrote a book entitled Good and Angry, and in chapter 2 he has the shortest chapter I’ve ever seen. The chapter heading says “Do You Have a Serious Problem with Anger?” And the entire chapter content is “yes.” None of us can claim we are free from anger. I want you to know your pastor is by no means free from anger. Of course, it’s possible for anger to be righteous and all, but it’s probably extremely rare (or if it is, it normally doesn’t stay righteous). James gives the definitive explanation for anger and hostility: “What is causing the quarrels and fights among you? Don’t they come from the evil desires at war within you? 2 You want what you don’t have, so you scheme and kill to get it. You are jealous of what others have, but you can’t get it, so you fight and wage war to take it away from them. Yet you don’t have what you want because you don’t ask God for it. 3 And even when you ask, you don’t get it because your motives are all wrong—you want only what will give you pleasure.” (James 4:1–3, NLT) The point James makes is this—sinful anger and hostility never come out of a heart that takes pleasure in God (that worships him). Conversely, if sinful anger or hostility is boiling up within us, it is our sign that our worship is not directed toward God but something else. Remember that the next time you’re tempted to blow up or claim up in anger. These fellows are not getting what they desire: their anger leads to ridicule which leads to plotting violence; but sandwiched in between it all, Nehemiah has inserted what’s going on in his heart in verses 4–6. Nehemiah knew that… 3) GOD MUST BE TRUSTED TO DEFEND AGAINST HIS ENEMIES (VV. 4–6) God cared more about Nehemiah’s enemies than he did! Here’s the rule of thumb about anger/hostility: you know it is sinful whenever you hurt others because of it (cf. Sanballat, Tobiah, etc.). Now think about Nehemiah: it’s pretty hard to read his prayer without concluding that he had some anger! I think he did. Read his prayer! But what is he doing with his anger? He’s going to God with it! He doesn’t stuff it effectively harming himself, and he doesn’t lash out with it seeking to harm others. He takes it to God who is the Ultimate Judge. It would seem Nehemiah knows something like Deuteronomy 32:35–36. It would seem he also knows something like Psalm 35:1–9. True justice and defense can only be handled by God—what is our role? It is to appeal to God who alone can make things right (and will make things right!). The crucial point for us is this: Any time we angrily take matters into our own hands it demonstrates the reality that we do not know or trust God, but that we have appointed ourselves as jury, judge, and executioner. That is not Nehemiah at all—he leads the people onward in the confidence that the conflict really isn’t about it him, it’s about God. He moves forward with action knowing that… 4) GOD WILL ULTIMATELY DEFEND AGAINST HIS ENEMIES (VV. 9–23) Through dependent action, God used Nehemiah to thwart his enemies. Verse 9 summarizes this final section well. As usual, Kidner helps us to see the pattern: “The celebrated remark, we prayed…and set a guard, exactly reflects the faith of Nehemiah. The partnership of heaven and earth, of trust and good management, is taken for granted as something normal and harmonious; and the order of precedence between them is no formality: it agrees with the preparation in chapter 1 for chapter 2, with the swifter sequence of 2:4f. (‘so I prayed… and I said’), and with verses 4–6 in the present chapter (‘Hear O our God… so we built the wall’). There will be another instance in verse 14: ‘Remember the Lord… and fight.’” (Kidner, Ezra-Nehemiah, 91–92) Nehemiah embodies the practice of genuinely trusting in God first but then taking thoughtful initiative and faithful action. In quick summary: The people were internally discouraged (v. 10) The people were externally fearful (vv. 11–12) Nehemiah inspired the people to defend (vv. 13–14) Nehemiah organized the people to defend (vv. 15–23) Thus is thwarted the plot to attack them. There’s something deterring about a store owner with a pistol on his hip, just as I imagine there’s something deterring about a perfumer laying brick with a sword at his side. Well what might we take away from our text for our own lives? CLOSING APPLICATIONS The first step in believing the gospel is to realize our own hostility toward God. Have you realized that? Have you come to God confessing that? Have you trusted in his grace through Jesus to forgive your hostility and make you his friend? Conflict because of the gospel is normal (with family, not being “in” with people, being maligned for believing, being regarded as stupid). See 1 Peter 4:14–16. Do you realize only God has perfect knowledge and perfect justice? We have neither! Our anger is never prefect. That’s why we appeal to him. Our trust in God and our responsibility to act must function together. Just remember which one comes first. It would seem that the following words from the hymn serves well as our benediction and closing prayer: Stand up, stand up for Jesus, Stand in his strength alone; The arm of flesh will fail you, Ye dare not trust your own. Put on the gospel armor, Each piece put on with prayer; Where duty calls or danger, Be never wanting there. Stand up, stand up for Jesus, The strife will not be long; This day the noise of battle, The next the victor's song. To those who vanquish evil A crown of life shall be; They with the King of Glory Shall reign eternally.