Building and Battling
Nehemiah 4:18
18 For the builders, everyone had his sword girded by his side, and so builded. And he that sounded the trumpet was by me.
This morning I would like to speak a message that I believe The Lord has placed upon my heart.
It is entitled "Building and Battling"
Just like Nehemiah set out to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem, you and I also have been called to rebuild.
Nehemiah was called to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem, but you and I have been called to rebuild the lives of hurting people.
We have been called to bring the Good New of Jesus Christ to hurting people in our city, state, world, and continent.
Now why was the rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem so important?
Well, Nehemiah is a book of the Bible that can be looked at as a book that is the story of restoring people from despair and ruin, to a new walk with God.
In case you don’t know Jerusalem is a symbolic city.
Jerusalem can represent the place that God desires to dwell.
When the city was first designated to King David as the place where God wanted him to build the temple, he was told that this was the place where God would dwell among his people.
I Chronicles 23:25
For David had said, "Since the LORD, the God of Israel, has granted rest to his people and has come to dwell in Jerusalem forever,
Psalms 135:21
Praise be to the LORD from Zion, to him who dwells in Jerusalem. Praise the LORD.
Ezra 6:12
May God, who has caused his Name to dwell there, overthrow any king or people who lifts a hand to change this decree or to destroy this temple in Jerusalem. I Darius have decreed it. Let it be carried out with diligence.
Ps 74:2
Remember your congregation, which you purchased of old, which you have redeemed to be the tribe of your inheritance; Mount Zion, in which you have lived
So with that in mind, Jerusalem throughout the Old and New Testaments, has pictured the place where God seeks to dwell.
However, it is only a picture -- it is not the actual place where God dwells, according to the New Testament, man is to be the dwelling place of God.
Paul says in Colossians 1:27 , "Christ in you, the hope of glory,"This is God's provision and desire for man.
According to Colossians 1:27 God desires to dwell in you and I.
Just like Nehemiah rebuilt the walls in Jerusalem which was the place where God desired to dwell, so it is today you and I have been called to rebuild the lives of people - where God desires to dwell.
Now when the walls of Jerusalem were burnt down and destroyed that meant that anything could come in and out, there was no defense.
Doesn’t that sounds like many people today?
They have no defense in their life. The walls to their life have been burnt down and destroyed and anything can come in and out.
Such as depression, addiction, violence, suicide, alcoholism, false gods, and so much more, but you and I have been called to rebuild the walls of the lives of people.
So when Nehemiah set out to rebuild these walls they represented more than just the walls of Jerusalem, but they represented a picture of the place where God wanted to dwell.
Now - God desires to dwell in you and I.
The old Testament God is with us.
The new testament God is in us.
Now that tells me that Nehemiah was not out to rebuild the walls for his own good, but he was out to rebuild the walls to benefit the Kingdom of God.
Now when you and I set out to do a work for God. It should not be for selfish gain, but our motives should be "that we have been called to do a work for the Kingdom of God."
We have been called by God to rebuild lives in the inner cities of Africa and throughout the world.
How are we going to do that?
We are going to do that by building a Church that is a base.
Is there anybody here this morning that is willing to rebuild lives for the Honor and Glory of Jesus Christ?
This morning I would like to take a look at some of the things that Nehemiah faced when he decided to step out and build and do a work for The Lord.
1. Ridicule - Nehemiah 4:1-3
1 When Sanballat heard that we were rebuilding the wall, he became angry and was greatly incensed. He ridiculed the Jews,
2 and in the presence of his associates and the army of Samaria, he said, “What are those feeble Jews doing? Will they restore their wall? Will they offer sacrifices? Will they finish in a day? Can they bring the stones back to life from those heaps of rubble—burned as they are?”
3 Tobiah the Ammonite, who was at his side, said, “What they are building—even a fox climbing up on it would break down their wall of stones!”
What is the definition of ridicule -
1. speech or action intended to cause contemptuous laughter at a person or thing; derision.
2. to deride; make fun of.
Has anybody here ever been ridiculed?
Has anybody here ever been made fun of?
Has anybody here ever made fun of somebody else?
See one of the things the Enemy will try and use to get you and I off the wall and stop building in the Kingdom of God is ridicule.
Have you ever decided to step out for God and then you were hit with ridicule.
Maybe it was someone who knew you before you were saved.
Maybe it was someone who knew how you used to be before you came to know Jesus.
Maybe it was someone who just didn't like what you were doing for God.
Maybe it was someone who felt convicted by what you were doing for God and tried to bring you down.
Either way you were ridiculed.
See you and I need to understand something. Whenever you and I step out to do something for God, The Enemy is not going to just kick back and let us do it.
He is going to try and stop you from moving forward with the plan and call of God upon your life.
That's why Paul said I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.
That word press means that you and I need to put forth an effort. If we are going to move forward in God, we need to push.
Now ridicule doesn't necessarily only come from the outside, but ridicule can also come from the inside.
Hellooo.
Have you ever stepped out for God to do a work for Him and then all of a sudden you were ridiculed, from inside The House of The Lord?
The person who came against you was sitting next to you in The House of The Lord.
The book of Psalms reads in Psalms 55 -
12 - If an enemy were insulting me, I could endure it; if a foe were rising against me, I could hide.
13 - But it is you, a man like myself, my companion, my close friend,
14 - with whom I once enjoyed sweet fellowship at the house of God, as we walked about among the worshipers.
Come on Somebody!!!
See it is one thing to face ridicule from the outside, but it is another thing to face ridicule from the inside.
David faced it
Joseph faced it
Jesus faced it from the religious leaders so guess what - there is a good chance that you and I are going to face it.
So think it not strange when we go through trials -
The NIV version of I Peter 4:12 says:
12 Dear friends, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come on you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you.
13 But rejoice inasmuch as you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed
Matthew 5:11
"Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me.
So don't be surprised when you and I step out for God, if someone in The House comes against you.
Not only did Nehemiah face ridicule, but he also faced opposition.
2. Opposition - Nehemiah 4:7-8
Nehemiah 4:7
But it came to pass, [that] when Sanballat, and Tobiah, and the Arabians, and the Ammonites, and the Ashdodites, heard that the walls of Jerusalem were made up, [and] that the breaches began to be stopped, then they were very wroth,
Nehemiah 4:8
And conspired all of them together to come [and] to fight against Jerusalem, and to hinder it.
What does it mean to face opposition. Well I looked up the word opposition and this is what it said:
1. the action of opposing, resisting, or combating.
2. antagonism or hostility.
3. a person or group of people opposing, criticizing, or protesting something, someone, or another group.
Have you ever faced opposition?
See The Enemy will not only try to use ridicule to get you down from the wall, but if that doesn't work then He will try to use opposition.
See there is a difference between ridicule and opposition.
Ridicule is just words, but opposition is an attack.
Example:
I can ridicule, make fun, put down this brother, but I am not going toward him.
Now if I decide to attack him then I need to go in his direction and physically try and pull him down off the wall.
Unfortunately, some of us allow The Enemy to discourage from the work buy words.
He said they she said they you said that I said and we lose the victory.
Some of us The Enemy doesnn’t even have to attack us, just words alone gets the job done.
OK lets get back to opposition...
See it is one thing for The Enemy to try and stop you by His words, but it is another thing for Him to try stop you with an attack.
- see sometimes if words of don't work then the attack will try and come in different forms.
- physical
- financial
- spiritual
- at our job
- family and loved ones
See words are just that - words, but when the oppostion comes it is a real cituation that you and I are facing.
It may be a physical condition
It may be a situation with a family member
It may be a situation at our job
It may be a situation with a loved one
It may be a financial situation
r It may be a personal situation
The Enemy will try and use opposition to get us down from the wall, but the thing I like about Nehemiah is he set up a plan to come against the attacks and stayed focused on rebuilding the walls.
How many know that is the challenge for you and I?
When we are going through trials, situations, and circumstances that we stay focused on what God has called us to do.
It is a blessing to see a person who you know is going through things maybe with a family member, maybe with a loved one, or maybe even a personal situation and they are still serving God and staying focused on the mission that God has called them to accomplish.
They are still in The House of The Lord singing
They are still in The House of The Lord dancing
They are still in The House of The Lord serving
They are still in The House of The Lord - doing what God has called them to do.
That is what we need in this generation - we need Christians who have backbone.
Tell your neighbor "Backbone"
Sometimes instead of having backbone - we have yo yo Christians.
You know what a yo yo Christian is right - that is a Christian who is up one day and down the next.
They are like a yo yo.
What we need today are Christians who are like a postage stamp.
What does a postage stamp do - it takes a lickin and keep on stickin.
Is there anybody The House that has backbone?
Quote: porcelain
Mildred Witte Struven, Bits and Pieces, September 19, 1991, p.6.
A clay pot sitting in the sun will always be a clay pot. It has to go through the white heat of the furnace to become porcelain.
Quote: improving job
In adversity we usually want God to do a removing job when He wants to do an improving job. To realize the worth of the anchor, we need to feel the storm.
Is there anybody in The House of The Lord who says what doesn't kill me only makes me stronger.
You may be here this morning and The Enemy may has tried to take you out with opposition, but you are still standing. God has a plan and a purpose for your life, don't let the opposition take you off the wall, but let the opposition make us stronger.
If it wasn't for the grace of God where would I be?
The Bible says having done all to stand, stand therefore with the full armor of God.
After you have done all stand - stand some more.
3. Not only did Nehemiah and the builders face ridicule and opposition, but they also faced Discouragement.
Nehemiah 4:10-12
Nehemiah 4:10
Meanwhile, the people in Judah said, "The strength of the laborers is giving out, and there is so much rubble that we cannot rebuild the wall."
Neh 4:11
Also our enemies said, "Before they know it or see us, we will be right there among them and will kill them and put an end to the work."
Neh 4:12
Then the Jews who lived near them came and told us ten times over, "Wherever you turn, they will attack us."
Have you ever been discouraged before?
Listen to this:
Quote from Today in the Word:
Former heavy-weight boxer James (Quick) Tillis is a cowboy from Oklahoma who fought out of Chicago in the early 1980s. He still remembers his first day in the Windy City after his arrival from Tulsa. "I got off the bus with two cardboard suitcases under by arms in downtown Chicago and stopped in front of the Sears Tower. I put my suitcases down, and I looked up at the Tower and I said to myself, 'I'm going to conquer Chicago.' "When I looked down, the suitcases were gone."
Have you ever set out to do something for God, but you just didn't get the results you wanted to see.
Things were not going according to the way you planned.
The project you were working on didn't ever seem like it was going to get done.
The person you were counting on to help you get the job done, didn't come through and that person was yourself.
Come on somebody!!!
Well I have some good news for you and I - There are going to be times when we all face times of discouragement.
The key thing that you and I need to remember is not to let discouragement pull us off the wall.
The challenge for you and I is to keep on building even in the times of discouragement.
If you haven't heard this scripture before in Galatians 6:9 let me read it to you, the Bible says
"Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.
Tell your neighbor “Don’t give up”
Quote: Missionary to India
After William Carey was well established in his pioneer missionary work in India, his supporters in England sent a printer to assist him. Soon the two men were turning out portions of the Bible for distribution. Carey had spent many years learning the language so that he could produce the scriptures in the local dialect. He had also prepared dictionaries and grammars for the use of his successors.
One day while Carey was away, a fire broke out and completely destroyed the building, the presses, many Bibles, and the precious manuscripts, dictionaries, and grammars. When he returned and was told of the tragic loss, he showed no sign of despair or impatience. Instead, he knelt and thanked God that he still had the strength to do the work over again. He started immediately, not wasting a moment in self-pity. Before his death, he had duplicated and even improved on his earlier achievement .
Ok you may not be getting the results you want to see, people may be ridiculing you, The Enemy may be opposing you, but The Bible says If God is for us who can be against us?
Don’t let discouragement pull you off the wall and stop you from doing what God has called us to do.
Here is a saying from William Ward. :
from the book Today in the Word, April, 1989, p. 18
Discouragement is dissatisfaction with the past, distaste for the present, and distrust of the future. It is ingratitude for the blessings of yesterday, indifference to the opportunities of today, and insecurity regarding strength for tomorrow. It is unawareness of the presence of beauty, unconcern for the needs of our fellowman, and unbelief in the promises of old. It is impatience with time, immaturity of thought, and impoliteness to God.
In Closing:
*** How did Nehemiah and the ones who were helping him to rebuild the wall respond to the ridicule, opposition, and discouragement.
They Built and Battled!!!
Nehemiah 4:17-18
17 - who were building the wall. Those who carried materials did their work with one hand and held a weapon in the other,
18 -and each of the builders wore his sword at his side as he worked. But the man who sounded the trumpet stayed with me.
I believe the challenge for you and I is to remember that we need to build and battle.
Some people just get caught up in building and they forget to battle.
Some people get caught up in battling and they forget to build.
The challenge for you and I is to build and battle.
We build the kingdom of God with our talents, gifts, abilities, outreach, events and so on, but we also need keep our sword by our side. So when the Enemy comes in we are ready to fight because we can’t forget that we are in a battle.
Now when I say sword - I mean sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
When we are building we can’t forget to keep our sword by our side.
So when The Enemy comes in we have something to fight.
Nehemiah and the team not only focused on building the walls, but they were also ready to battle.
You and I need to know, that we have been called to build, but we have also been called to battle.
The weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but they are mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds, casting down imaginations and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.
So this morning I just wanted to encourage the Church to keep on building even in the midst of the battle.
God has called us to reach out to huring people, rebuild lives, rebuild families, and to restore hope.
In the midst of that we are going to face some battles, but the Bible says if God be for us who can be against us?
This morning you may be going through some battles and you say Pastor Dre the Enemy has tried to come in with:
1 - ridicule
2 - opposition
and
3 - discouragement
while I am building, but I want to make it a point not to let these things take me off the wall and sidetrack me from what God has called me to do.
I would like to pray for you this morning that God would continue to give us the strength to build an battle without leaving the work that God has called us to do.
Quote:
Gene Getz, Doing Your Part, Regal, 1984, pp. 152-3
In 1924, two climbers were part of an expedition that set out to conquer Mount Everest. As far as is known, they never reached the summit; and they never returned. Somewhere on that gigantic mountain they were overpowered by the elements and died. After the failure of the expedition, the rest of the party returned home. Addressing a meeting in London, one of those who returned described the ill-fated adventure. He then turned to a huge photograph of Mount Everest, mounted on the wall behind him.
"Everest," he cried, "we tried to conquer you once, but you overpowered us. We tried to conquer you a second time, but again you were too much for us. But, Everest, I want you to know that we are going to conquer you, for you can't grow any bigger, and we can!"
See you might not have gotten on the first try, or even the second try, but you are only getting stronger, expect your breakthrough on the next try.
- Nehemiah was building for the Kingdom sake
- Jesus said pray to The Lord of the Harvest that He may send forth Labourers into His Harvest Field. He said this after He saw the people harassed and helpless like a sheep without a Shephard.
