The Wall
Pt. 4 – Wall Weapons
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. Nehemiah reveals that we must practice countenance, conversation, and complaint control! Then last week he taught us that when we take our place on the wall we should expect enemies. We should know that the enemy will underestimate us and try to get us to do the same. We found out that to win we must guard our vulnerable areas, be willing to work, keep our mind focused on Christ, and fight for others. So let me now take you into a few more lessons that we can learn from The Wall.
II. Text
Nehemiah 6:1-9, 10-13, 15-16
1-2 When Sanballat, Tobiah, Geshem the Arab, and the rest of our enemies heard that I had rebuilt the wall and that there were no more breaks in it—even though I hadn't yet installed the gates— Sanballat and Geshem sent this message: "Come and meet with us at Kephirim in the valley of Ono."
2-3 I knew they were scheming to hurt me so I sent messengers back with this: "I'm doing a great work; I can't come down. Why should the work come to a standstill just so I can come down to see you?" 4Four times they sent this message and four times I gave them my answer. 5-6 The fifth time—same messenger, same message (this speaks once again to the fact that if we aren't careful we fall prey to the same tricks over and over again) —Sanballat sent an unsealed letter with this message: 6-7 "The word is out among the nations—and Geshem says it's true— that you and the Jews are planning to rebel. That's why you are rebuilding the wall. The word is that you want to be king and that you have appointed prophets to announce in Jerusalem, 'There's a king in Judah!' The king is going to be told all this—don't you think we should sit down and have a talk?"
8 I sent him back this: "There's nothing to what you're saying. You've made it all up." 9 They were trying to intimidate us into quitting. They thought, "They'll give up; they'll never finish it."
A. We Must Face the Weapon of Distraction!
We can learn so much from Nehemiah and how he handled his enemies! His adversaries once again attempt to get Nehemiah to stop. They send repeated messages trying to get him to take time away from the construction process to have meetings with them. I love his response! "I am doing a great work and can't come down. Why should I let good work come to a stop to meet you?" What I have put my hands to is so important I will not be distracted by something you make seem important, but really isn't! Nehemiah reveals one of the greatest weapons our enemy utilizes against us . . . distraction.
Distractions are deadly! The enemy uses this against us commonly. You are about to finally breakthrough and chaos breaks out around you. You are about to get disciplined in an area and something "more" important comes along and takes you a different direction. You are about to focus on your marriage and out of nowhere extra assignments at work hit your desk. Most of us are missing one key component in our lives that would insure victory . . . focus! We are so distracted that we fail to accomplish a great work!
Some of you need to evaluate the task you have at hand and come to the realization that Nehemiah came to . . . I am doing a great work and I refuse to start on or give my attention to anything else right now.
I am busy working on my marriage the promotion at work will just have to wait. I am trying to finish my degree that relationship will just have to wait. I am called to serve with kids the exciting position I see in that other area will have to wait. The enemy will use good and godly things to distract us from the one thing God has assigned to us!
There’s a story about Bill Mazzoroski from the Pirates and the famous and quotable catcher for the Yankees Yogi Berra. During a World Series game Mazzoroski stepped up to the plate and Berra said, "Hey, you’re holding your bat wrong. You’ve got the label turned down. You can’t hit the ball with the label turned down. You need to turn the bat so you can read the label." Without taking his eye off the pitcher, Mazzoroski said to Berra, "I didn’t come here to read; I came here to hit."
Your enemy can keep you from hitting if you get distracted into reading! Some of you would hit a home run this year if we could just keep you focused on something for more than 1 month or 3 months. Destroy distraction! What captures your attention and then exposes your heart and life to defeat?
When Sanballat realized that he couldn't distract Nehemiah with meetings he begins to lie on Nehemiah. He spreads rumors that Nehemiah is trying to lead a revolt! He is trying to get Nehemiah to feel the need to defend himself so that it will get him refocus his energy and resources.
If the enemy can't distract you with something important he will distract you by misrepresenting you! He will lie on you! People will begin to speak evil of your good. People will begin to misjudge your intentions and motives. Most of go nuts when this happens and we quit building and start defending! We begin to worry about what is being said and what people think! You aren't called to play defense!
Ex. 15:2 - The Lord is my strength and my defense.
Ps. 3:3 - But you, LORD, are a shield around me.
Ps. 7:10 - My shield is God Most High, who saves the upright in heart.
Ps. 18:2 - The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
I don't put my trust in my reputation. I put my trust in Him. I don't have to defend me! In fact, He won't defend me if I defend me! Just stay focused. Keep your arguments to yourself. You don't need to defend! Your enemies will never buy your argument and your fellow wall warriors knew better in the first place.
Distractions must be destroyed!
Nehemiah 6:10-13, 15-16
10 Then I met secretly with Shemaiah son of Delaiah, the son of Mehetabel, at his house. He said: Let's meet at the house of God, inside The Temple; Let's find safety behind locked doors because they're coming to kill you, Yes, coming by night to kill you.
11 I said, "Why would a man like me run for cover? And why would a man like me use The Temple as a hideout? I won't do it." 12-13 I sensed that God hadn't sent this man. The so-called prophecy he spoke to me was the work of Tobiah and Sanballat; they had hired him. He had been hired to scare me off—trick me—a layman, into desecrating The Temple and ruining my good reputation so they could accuse me.
15-16 The wall was finished on the twenty-fifth day of Elul. It had taken fifty-two days. When all our enemies heard the news and all the surrounding nations saw it, our enemies totally lost their nerve. They knew that God was behind this work.
B. Face the Weapon of Displacement
This plant from the enemy attempts to get Nehemiah to meet him in particular areas of the temple that were off limits to Nehemiah. If he had met with him in these areas he would have desecrated the temple and himself. In fact, in the KJV it says he would have sinned! The man says, "Let us meet together in the house of God." Shemaiah knew how to use religious talk, but it was still a trap. If Nehemiah believed Shemaiah’s religious talk, he would sin and gives others something to find fault with and discredit him with. In fact, the last non-priest that had entered the temple, King Uzziah, had been instantly struck with leprosy.
One of the real weapons that the enemy will use against you is displacement. He will try to get you to go into places, areas, and arenas that you aren’t suppose to enter and try to get you to exert authority you don’t have! He did that to Jesus . . . while He was fasting he offers Jesus an option to go a way that would require less pain. He tries to get Jesus to exert authority He shouldn't exert at that moment!
Let me give you a very practical and common illustration because I fought this one myself. Found myself successful as a 20 something youth pastor. Being used by God and all of the sudden the enemy shows up and says man you would probably be a better pastor than the guy that's pastoring. I have seen singers that are anointed to sing, but go into areas they were never called to enter and fall into destruction. But it happens in everyday life too! You are anointed and called to work where you work, but enemy will offer you a promotion that will pull you into a circle of influence that will cause you to fall! I have seen people be victorious over one sin or stronghold that suddenly face another area and refuse to get help because they had anointing for the first area and they end up defeated because they were displaced!
All of that to say this . . . don't let the enemy displace you from your area of strength and anointing!
So the enemy has weapons he wants to use against you . . . distraction and displacement. However, there are two weapons that you can use against the enemy that you need to use effectively.
C. We must Possess the Weapon of Discernment
So since distraction didn't work, Sanballat and Tobiah enlist a guy named Shemaiah to meet with Nehemiah. He shows up with a "Thus saith the Lord" message for Nehemiah.
Nehemiah wields a weapon that is one of the most essential and under exercised gifts that every wall warrior must possess and hone . . . the weapon of discernment! He sees through the false message and it saves him from making a huge mistake!
This is why it is so crucial for you to know His voice! Not everything that is billed as a word from God is a word from God regardless of how anointed or TBN ready a person might be! Sheep must know the voice of the shepherd! I want to challenge you this year to practice discernment! Get better at hearing God! You have to be able to hear Him so you can stay focused and safe.
D. We must Possess the Weapon of Display
Nehemiah reports that the wall had been completed in 52 days. Get this in your spirit. What should have taken years was accomplished in less than 2 months. 4.5 miles of wall restored from total and complete ruin! Nehemiah defeats his enemy by putting what God has done on display!
When we see God's hand at work so obliviously and magnificently that sight and display should become a weapon in our hands to teach us and our enemy that nothing is impossible for us and we can do what God says we can do! Like David who declares, when asked how he could possibly take on Goliath, I have seen God display His power when I took on the bear and the lion so I know He will come through again. We need to remind our enemy of what God has done! That is why Moses told the Children of Israel while they were in the desert 18 times to remember.
Let me help you see God's display this morning so that as we square off against enemies around here we will remember what God has done:
0 to over 100 in 3 services.
A 6 month old church secures and renovates 9,000 sq. ft of building and somehow some way secures $115,000 to do so.
A fledgling congregation gives away almost $10,000 to families in need at Christmas.
A congregation gives away over 6,000 hotdogs, chips, drinks in 2 summers because they have gained access to apartments that won't allow other churches to access.
Remind you that we have seen at least 2 and probably a couple of other couples that were headed for divorce remain married and their relationship is progressing.
We have seen folks who were living in sin get saved and make radical changes. We watched a basketball league bring an entire family to Christ.
We have seen depressed folks come back to life.
We have watched a youth ministry go from 0 to now averaging almost 60 on Wednesday night!
We have seen a church that was behind in every financial area become self sufficient, pay tithes every month, and some how get a $233,000 loan with no history (8% to 6%)!
We sell a duplex for 143,500 that I was told by a commercial real estate guy there was no way we would ever get more than 115,000 for! Then apply it to remodel with permission from bank!
Lease
Salvations
Why are our expectations low? We can't disrespect God by expecting too little! Let's raise our expectation levels to an appropriate level! Let's have expectations that are adequate for the ability of our God!
We need to wave His display in the face of our enemy! It is a weapon in our hands! Why is it important for me to recount that stuff . . . just to remind you that God can do it. He can turn around the impossible. He can speed it up! He can accomplish in one Sunday what should take decades. He can break a lifelong addiction in one encounter with Him around the altar. He can bring life where there was only death! Don't give up. Keep fighting. Keep believing. Keep building! He has proven He is trustworthy! Every time the enemy comes against me I just open up the display case of God's goodness and the enemy slinks away in defeat! Your testimony is a weapon! Don't hide the display of God's goodness. Flaunt it in the devil's face. You thought you had me locked up, but now I am free. You thought you had me defeated but check out this display of grace. You thought you had me broken, but here I am whole (superman action)! I love to quote taste and see that the Lord He is good. I always pass right over the "see" part of that. Maybe we need to slow down and let people see the goodness of God!
