Since the beginning of time people have fought with each other
A group of historians has compiled the following info.
In the last 5600 years the world has seen only 292 years of peace
During this same period there have been 14,351 wars
In which 3.64 billion people have been killed
The property damage value is equal to a belt of gold around the world over 96 ½ miles wide and 36 feet thick
Since 650 BC there have been 1,656 arms races and 1640 of them have ended in war
The remaining 16 ended in the economic collapse of both countries involved
But there is a war that is not counted in those statistics
A war that started before time began and is still going on today
It is a war between God and Satan
It really is no war at all
God is All-powerful; Satan’s power is limited
God is All-knowing; Satan’s knowledge is limited
God is Eternal; Satan was created
God is Everywhere; Satan can only be in one place at a time
So Satan really can not win a fight with God, so he picks on God’s children instead
In Nehemiah 4 we see this struggle between Satan and God’s people
On Satan’s side are Sanballat, Tobiah, the Arabians, the Ammonites and the Ashdodites
On God’s side are Nehemiah and the Jewish people who are trying so hard to rebuild the wall of Jerusalem
One of the struggles was a military one, in which the Jews had to be ready for
So lets read Nehemiah 4:12-23
A little background for this event
True to God’s promise of judgment He brought the Assyrians and Babylonians to deliver His chastisement upon wayward Judah and Israel
In 722 BC the Assyrians deported the 10 northern tribes and scattered them all over the known world
Several centuries later, from 605-586 BC God used the Babylonians to sack, destroy and nearly depopulate Jerusalem
God chastised His people with 70 years of captivity in Babylon
It was during this captivity that we read about Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego
During the Jews captivity, world empire leadership changed hands from the Babylonians to the Persians
The book of Ezra begins with the decree of Cyrus, a Persian king, to return God’s people to Jerusalem
Zerrubabul and Joshua led the first return and rebuilt the temple, Ezra led a second return
And the book of Nehemiah chronicles the third return to rebuild the wall around Jerusalem
Nehemiah - who’s name means “Jehovah comforts” - was a famous cupbearer for king Artaxerxes I
Which is a position of great responsibility
His role of tasting the king’s wine to prevent him from being poisoned places Nehemiah in a position of trust and confidence as one of the king’s advisers
This position gave Nehemiah a unique opportunity to ask the king for special permission to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem
So armed with royal letters, Nehemiah traveled to Jerusalem
He found a disorganized group of people and a defenseless city with no walls to protect it
So he organized the people into groups and assigned them to specific sections of the wall
The construction project was not without opposition however
Sanballat, Tobiah and others tried to halt the work with insults, ridicule, threats and sabotage
In each case Nehemiah employed a strategy to frustrate the enemies
This brings us to chapter 4
We see the workers here going about their business
That is what we were created to do - work
Gen 2:15 tells us God created Adam and put him to work in the garden
Man is a worker, either for God or against Him
The Lord said “He that is not for me is against me”
We should all be workers for God
As we look at this passage in Nehemiah we find some suggestive thoughts for workers
I. The Worker’s Position
V 13 Therefore set I in the lower places behind the wall, and on the higher places, I even set the people after their families with their swords, their spears, and their bows.
We may not like the lower places
Because there we are more exposed to the wrath of the enemy
We would much prefer the higher places in Christian work
Where we could see and be seen
Lowly slum work is never so pleasant to some as preaching in a pulpit or on a platform
These workers had grace enough to go where they were sent
And to do their part gladly knowing that each piece of work was a needful part of the great whole
This is such an important part of church work
Everyone doing their part, matter how small or insignificant you may think your part is
It is the little things that count, that cause a church to continue on
This church could have never survived 130 years without the little jobs being done
Those that are set in the lowest places are very important indeed
And we also notice they were stationed together as families
Families worshiping and working together is another integral part of our church
There is nothing stronger than the bond between family
How beautiful to see whole families united in furthering the work of the Lord
II. The Worker’s Privilege
v. 14 Be not ye afraid of them: remember the Lord, which is great and terrible, and fight for your brethren, your sons, and your daughters, your wives, and your houses.
Those devil-driven adversaries. Waging war against God’s children will never be able to make this man afraid
The man whose mind is fixed on God which is “great and terrible”
These warrior-workers were not asked to fight for themselves
They were given the privilege to fight for their brethren, sons, daughters, wives and houses
Sure you would fight hard to save your own skin
But even harder to protect your family
And this fighting must be done in faith
We are fighting an enemy today
Satan is trying to destroy the family
And in some cases he seems to be winning
He is attacking the integrity of fathers
The submission of wives
The obedience of children
And even the very core of family itself
One battle Satan is winning is this family core
This past week in California they have legalized same-sex marriage
The advancement of the gay and lesbian agenda may very well the downfall of this great nation
And this is one way Satan is attacking the children of God
We are being silenced from speaking the truth of the Scriptures on this very issue
There are efforts in place to make it were I couldn’t say what I am saying here this morning
Even though the Bible is very clear on the issue of homosexuality
We must continue to fight the good fight of faith
Satan is indeed attacking the family
Father’s especially, we have the privilege as workers for Christ, to fight for our family!
The promise is to you and your family in Acts 16:31 And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.
Remember the Lord; remember His power and His promise and pray for your brethren and your family
That is your privilege
The more we think of Him the more we will think of others
III. The Worker’s Encouragement
V. 15 “God had brought their counsel (plans) to naught”
The enemy had entered into a secret conspiracy to fight against Jerusalem
They had planned a secret attack
But Nehemiah and the others had received word that Sanballat had mustered the army of Samaria
In fact God made sure their strategy was known by letting the nearby Jews know
So they would report it to Judah’s leaders
Though vigilant, armed and ready, Nehemiah and those he led consistently gave God the glory for their victories and construction success
How was the victory won? It was won through prayer
We read back in verse 4 Hear, O our God; for we are despised: and turn their reproach upon their own head, and give them for a prey in the land of captivity:
Though Satan is constantly attacking, our strongest defense is prayer
The weapons that are formed against such shall not prosper
Take no thought for your life; Your Father knoweth
From the closet of prayer you can bombard and bring confusion to all the forces of evil
This is our encouragement
I’ve read the back of the book, and we win
Prayer is our ultimate defense
And this prayer brought encouragement to the workers that day and prayer can and will bring encouragement to us today
God had brought their counsel to naught, that we returned all of us to the wall, every one unto his work.
When we are encouraged through the protection prayer can bring, we can return to and focus on the work He has for us
This leads us perfectly into our next point
IV. The Worker’s Weapons
We read here that every worker carried some kind of weapon
But there were different ways in which they were held
Some had their weapons held by others while they did the work
Nehemiah 4:16 And it came to pass from that time forth, that the half of my servants wrought in the work, and the other half of them held both the spears, the shields, and the bows, and the habergeons;
Some worked with one hand while holding a weapon in the other
Nehemiah 4:17 They which built on the wall, and they that bore burdens, with those that laded, every one with one of his hands wrought in the work, and with the other hand held a weapon.
And everyone worked with a sword strapped to their side
Nehemiah 4:18 For the builders, every one had his sword girded by his side, and so built.
Work and warfare are the characteristics of the Christian life
We are constantly fighting a war, a truth war
Satan fills the hearts of men with lies
And we are responsible for standing for the truth
And we are in danger of working in vain if we neglect the sword we are to constantly have at our side
The Sword of the Spirit, the Word of God
As the sword was the soldier’s only weapon, so God’s Word is the only needed weapon
Infinitely more powerful then any of Satan’s
In Ephesians 6 we read the description of the armor of God
The Greek word for sword in that passage refers to a small weapon (6-18 inches long)
It was used both defensively to fend off attacks
And offensively to help destroy the enemies’ strategies
Our sword is the truth of the Scriptures
We must use our weapon wisely
And in order to wield this sword well we must practice
You wouldn’t want to go into battle without first practicing with your weapon
We practice with the Sword of the Spirit by studying it
Not just reading, skimming through the verses and chapters
But by studying it, really learning and understanding its true meaning
Only then can it be an effective weapon in battle
Romans 8:31 says If God be for us, who can be against us
Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand
Sword-girded workers are in high demand in these present times
Are you one?
V. The Worker’s Warning
Verse 20 “in what place ye hear the sound of the trumpet, resort ye thither to us.”
While working and watching they were to be on guard
To be in tune with a listening ear for a gathering together at any moment at the call of the trumpet
As the building went on and parts of the wall went up
The workers began to get separated from each other
And with this separation, communications started to break down
In order to be prepared they had to listen for the trumpet call
The trumpet was used to call men to battle
While focusing on their work all around this massive city
They couldn’t watch for an approaching enemy
But they could listen for the trumpet, the warning
We must also be ready
1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: [17] Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
We have a trumpet call too that we are to listen for
But notice how they were expected to continue working
Not sitting idle waiting for the trumpet
We too are to work while we wait
We do not know when the hour cometh
He will come like a thief in the night
So we must be vigilant so as to be found working for Christ when that trumpet sounds, the angel shouts and we are called to meet our Savior
Blessed are they who work and watch and wait for that heavenly call.
VI. The Worker’s Devotion
These men were so thoroughly devoted to the work that they willingly practiced self-denial for its good
We dare not pretend to be consecrated to the work of the Lord unless we are prepared to sacrifice personal ease and comfort for His sake
Their whole-heartedness is seen in their working long hours
Nehemiah 4:21 So we labored in the work: and half of them held the spears from the rising of the morning till the stars appeared.
They were not simply a bunch of hired hands longing for 5:00 when they can drop their tools and head home
We’ve all been there haven’t we?
Just waiting for 5 so we could go home
But don’t you hate it when you are at a store or restaurant and you hear the workers complain about working and how they can’t wait to go home. If you don’t like your job, quit
Anyways these workers were not like this
They worked tirelessly
That is how we are expected to work for God
Those who long to get out of the work of Christ are unfit for it
It is one thing to be weary in the work, it is another to be weary of it
They were zealous for the work of God
Even to the point of giving up personal comfort and home
They “lodged in Jerusalem”
This implied separation from all those who were back home
Some of these workers nod doubt came from the surrounding areas since Jerusalem was not yet fortified
They were away from home for the entirety of this building project
They willingly sacrificed this liberty for the bondage of service
Those who dwell with the King for His work are the most likely to be successful in pleasing Him
And do you notice that they all sacrificed in order to do the work
We often think that just preachers, pastors and missionaries are the ones required to sacrifice for the work of the Lord
And we do
We often move away from home, friends and family
Often missionaries live in hostile environments
And some pastors
Some may give up very lucrative carriers for a lower paying ministry position
But all of these workers were called to sacrifice
We are all called to be a living sacrifice for our Lord
We may all be asked to give up something for the work
In the same way these workers kept themselves in constant readiness for the work
Nehemiah 4:23 “…none of us removed our clothes, each of us took his weapon even to the water”
The building of the wall was not a matter of convenience, but of life
The worker’s devotion was evident in all they did
And their devotion paid off
They finished the wall in 52 days
And their work for the Lord was evident to everyone around them as well
Nehemiah 6:16 says “When all our enemies heard about this, all the surrounding nations were afraid and lost their self-confidence because they realized that this work had been done with the help of our God”
That is how people will react to the work you are doing for God
If you follow closely to His will
As members of Fairview Missionary Baptist Church you have a proud legacy to uphold
Throughout the 130 year history of this church God has undoubtedly touched many lives
And brought many to Himself through this local body
Do you have the devotion to God’s work that these worker-warriors had?
Do you stand ready, working day by day listening for that trumpet call?
Do you wield your sword with confidence?
Confidence that only comes from constant practice with your Sword of the Spirit?
Are you being encouraged by answered prayer, with God’s protecting hand on your life?
Do you realize the privilege you have to protect and guard your family from the evil one?
Remember every position, whether great or small, is important for the work of this church to continue
Does God have a vision for us?
Are there “walls” that need to be built today?
God still wants His people to be united and trained to do His work
As we recognize deep needs in our world, God can give us the vision and desire “to build”
With that vision, we can mobilize others to pray and put together an action plan
There is work, always to be done
Fairview has worked throughout the decades
And we are called to continue that work
I pray that God continues to use Fairview until He calls us all home
It is our duty to make sure, to carry on His work
The Great Wall of China is the largest wall ever built
It took 1800 years to build from 220 BC until sometime during the Ming dynasty in the 1600’s
When it was completed, it was 6000 miles long
At one point, 800,000 people were working on that wall day and night
Some people spent their entire lives working on it
Not only did the wall keep the enemies of China from attacking
The wall also stands as a great symbol of what can be accomplished when people work together
What can God accomplish through us as we work together for Him?
