The Wall
Pt. 3 – Wall Warriors
I. Introduction
Nehemiah a captive, a slave has risen to status of cup bearer for the king. He gets a bad report about his hometown and responds. He has taught us that we must be moved beyond tears. That God keeps His Word . . . both curses and promises. That God uses those who are available and that have prayerability. Then last week Nehemiah reveals that we must practice countenance, conversation, and complaint control! Let's move forward. Nehemiah chapter 3 is a list of which group of people repaired which section of the wall teaching us that we all have the responsibility to repair the wall of God's protection and favor around our own homes! I want to draw your attention to Nehemiah 4 today.
II. Text
Nehemiah 4:1-3, 6-9, 13-14, 19-21
1-2When Sanballat heard that we were rebuilding the wall he exploded in anger, vilifying the Jews. In the company of his Samaritan cronies and military he let loose: "What are these miserable Jews doing? Do they think they can get everything back to normal overnight? Make building stones out of make-believe?"
3 At his side, Tobiah the Ammonite jumped in and said, "That's right! What do they think they're building? Why, if a fox climbed that wall, it would fall to pieces under his weight."
A. Warriors expect enemies!
Nehemiah had faced no enemies while sitting in the comfort of the palace. No foe opposed him while he minded his own business. However, as soon as he shook off apathy, became resolved in his mind to make a difference enemies came out of the wood work!
I don't know if you have made up your mind to build your marriage into a world class marriage rescuing it from ruins. It may be that you have made up your mind to get your financial house in order. Perhaps you have determined to follow your dream after years of sitting on the sidelines hiding from your purpose. However, what I do know is that Nehemiah's experience will be repeated! As soon as you make an attempt to build enemies will come out of the wood work! No temptation before, no depression before, no fear before, no resistance before but now every day a new enemy squares off against you! Expect it! Prepare for it. Expect old enemies that you thought were gone to rise up. Samaritans and Ammonites. When you go to work old stuff will surface. Old issues will arise! There will always be a giant or an enemy that arises when you start to do something for God!
B. Warriors understand that their enemy will underestimate them!
Nehemiah's enemies underestimated the ability of the people to build. He underestimates you and tries to get your to underestimate you. Can I tell you as an encouragement . . . your enemy is gifted at underestimating your strength. If he had known what you are capable of when you set your face like flint he would leave you alone. Some of you have bought the lie of weakness that he has sold you. Understand that his view of your power and anointing is not fact, but fiction! Rise up in your power! If the God is for us who can be against us? No weapon formed against us shall prosper! Let my neighbors, my family, my foes, my co-workers, classmates underestimate what I can accomplish with the help of my God!
Nehemiah 4:6
We kept at it, repairing and rebuilding the wall. The whole wall was soon joined together and halfway to its intended height because the people had a heart for the work.
7-9 When Sanballat, Tobiah, the Arabs, the Ammonites, and the Ashdodites heard that the repairs of the walls of Jerusalem were going so well—that the breaks in the wall were being fixed—they were absolutely furious. They put their heads together and decided to fight against Jerusalem and create as much trouble as they could. We countered with prayer to our God and set a round-the-clock guard against them.
13-14 So I stationed armed guards at the most vulnerable places of the wall and assigned people by families with their swords, lances, and bows. After looking things over I stood up and spoke to the nobles, officials, and everyone else: "Don't be afraid of them. Put your minds on the Master, great and awesome, and then fight for your brothers, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your homes."
19-20 Then I spoke to the nobles and officials and everyone else: "There's a lot of work going on and we are spread out all along the wall, separated from each other. When you hear the trumpet call, join us there; our God will fight for us."
21 And so we kept working, from first light until the stars came out, half of us holding lances.
C. Warriors win because they have 4 key traits:
1. They know their weaknesses and set guards.
Nehemiah accessed areas of weakness and put up guards so the enemy wouldn’t be able to exploit that weakness.
Oh that we would learn to do that. If we struggle with lust then we should guard (Covenant Eyes) our internet usage. If we struggle with addiction we should guard where we spend time. If we struggle with debt we should get rid of credit cards. We make the enemy’s job too easy! Where are you vulnerable? What are you going to do to guard yourself in that area! Be wise to the enemy’s tactics (2 Cor. 2:11)!
2. A heart to work.
Powerful statement made by Nehemiah . . . the people had a heart to work! Victory is very simple to spell . . . W O R K! Individually you will never get all that God has for you until you are willing to rollup your sleeves and go to work. Marriage isn't easy. Relationships aren't easy. Favor ain't fair, but favor ain't free either. God responds to diligence. Ask those who were given talents about how God responds to the lazy. I find that those we see so blessed and that we are so jealous of generally when you get to the bottom of their overnight success you find years of blood, sweat and tears. The wisest man in the world, Solomon, encourages us to pattern our lives after the ant because the ant isn't afraid of hard work and faithfulness! Faith without works is dead! All the faith in the world hinges on your willingness to take action!
We have to break the 80/20 rule here at Passion. I want you to sit and heal, but there is a day when just riding the bench isn't appropriate for you or healthy for us! It is time for you to work! It is time for you to take your place on the wall! When
3. An ability to keep their mind on Christ.
When faced with opposition. When enemies were becoming vocal and bold. Nehemiah declares that it is absolutely crucial for the people to keep their mind on God. I want you to know that as we walk through all of this together. As you walk through the struggles and hardships of life you are going to have to learn to keep your mind on Christ!
Your peace is determined by your ability to keep focused on Him. (Isaiah 26:3 - Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.)
Your ability to keep fighting is determined by your ability to focus on Him . . . (Heb. 12:1-3 - Keep looking to Jesus when you are attacked and you won't lose hope!) Notice they countered attack with prayer . . . mind on Christ! It is time to refocus. Take your mind off of everything but Him. Take your mind off the odds, the money, they faces of disbelief, the fear and get your mind on the Master, great and awesome! Don’t underestimate the power of prayer and at the same time watch! We have to have some folks who will hear and feel attacks and still work, still fight, still press through. We have too many that fold with the first hint of opposition. Those that endure till the end. Focus on the Master and you will stay on the wall, on task, and on point.
As exciting as the new is the day will come when building the wall gets old. Finding a parking place gets old. But that is when we have to refocus on what God is thinking and doing!
4. A willingness to fight for others!
Notice the instructions Nehemiah gives. Notice the order. . . fight for your brothers! He tells them they must fight for their own. However, he starts by encouraging them to fight for others. We are assigned as a family to fight for other family members! Too many of us have no one to fight for us because we have failed to ever get our attention off of us long enough to fight for someone else first!
Some of you need one of us to fight for you! You are too weak, too tired, too sick, too overwhelmed to fight right now. Good news God has placed you in a family that will rally to the call. I keep an eye out for my enemy, but I have an eye out for your enemy too. When I see you dropping your guard I jump into the gap and fight for you!
There is so much happening that at times we may seem separated! At times our schedules, the cares of life, multiple services, and multiple campuses seems to weaken us, divide us, but what we must set into place here is that when the alarm is sounded, when the call goes out, when someone is sick, when someone suffers loss, when someone's world breaks apart we join forces, efforts, and resources and respond. That is picture of the New Testament Church in Acts. And all the believers lived in a wonderful harmony, holding everything in common. They sold whatever they owned and pooled their resources so that each person's need was met.
Fight for another instead of with one another! Build your own wall, but help your pew partner build and protect their wall too! Sundays are the day the trumpet blows. This is crucial time for us to build together!
If there has ever been an accurate picture of us and for us it is captured in what I have read to you this morning.
Who are you fighting for? Who is fighting for you? Is your mind fixed on Christ? Are you working or simply setting on the sidelines watching?
