God’s People Must Prevail - Neh Ch 4:7- 23
1) Prevail Over Derision - 4:1-6
a) The Feebleness of The People - 4:1,2 b) The Futility of Their Task - 4:2
c) The Foolishness of Their Faith - 4:2 d) The Frailty of Their Work - 4:3
e) The Fulfillment of Their Actions - 4:6 So built we the wall; and all the wall was joined together unto the half thereof: for the people had a mind to work.
2) Prevail Over Discouragement - 4:7-21
a) The Curse of Discouragement - 4:7-9 8 And conspired all of them together to come and to fight against Jerusalem, and to hinder it.
b) The Cause of Discouragement - 4:10-12 (1) When We Are Worn Out - 4:10 The strength of the bearers of burdens is decayed
(2) When We Are Weighed Down - 4:10 and there is much rubbish
(3) When We Are Wrought Up - 4:12 they said unto us ten times, From all places whence ye shall return unto us they will be upon you. c) The Cure for Discouragement - 4:13-21
(1) The Arming of The People - 4:13 I even set the people after their families with their swords, their spears, and their bows. (2) The Assuring of The People - 4:14 Be not ye afraid of them: remember the Lord, which is great and terrible,
(3) The Arousing of The People - 4:14 and fight for your brethren, your sons, and your daughters, your wives, and your houses. (a) Our Faith Is Worth Fighting For - 4:14 (b) Our Families Are Worth Fighting For -
(c) Our Future Is Worth Fighting For -
(4) The Appointing of The People - 4:15-18 (a) The Return To The Work 15 that we returned all of us to the wall, every one unto his work
(b) The Rules of The Work - 4:16 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;
(c) The Rigours of The Work - 4:17, They which builded on the wall, and they that bare burdens, with those that laded, every one with one of his hands wrought in the work, and with the other hand held a weapon.
(5) The Assembling of The People - 4: 20 In what place therefore ye hear the sound of the trumpet, resort ye thither unto us: our God shall fight for us.
(6) The Admonishing of The People - 4:20, our God shall fight for us.
Ps 42:5 Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted in me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him for the help of his countenance.
3) Prevail Over Dangers - 4:22,23 Likewise at the same time said I unto the people, Let every one with his servant lodge within Jerusalem, that in the night they may be a guard to us, and labour on the day. 23 So neither I, nor my brethren, nor my servants, nor the men of the guard which followed me, none of us put off our clothes, saving that every one put them off for washing.
4) Prevail Over The Devil
“The Strategies of Satan" 1 Peter 5:8 Says Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:
a. Lions are Strong
A Full Grown Lion Weighs Anywhere Between 250 to 500 Pounds; It Can Leap 14 Feet; It Has the Pulling Power of 21 Men; It Can Run 40 Miles Per Hour, and It Has Triple the Reaction Speed of a Man -> It Will Attack an Animal Five Times Its Size, and Once It is involved in the Attack, It is Tenacious, Cruel and Merciless
b. Lions are Subtle
-> Then, the Lion Will Camouflage Itself Behind Some Tall Grass so That It Can Get Within 20 to 30 Feet of Its Prey, and the Lion Will be Virtually Invisible With the Exception of Its Eyes It Attacks The Most Vulnerable and Careless
-> Jesus Warned Peter in Luke 22:31 by Saying, And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat:
-> And Jesus Warned Him Again in Verse 46 And said unto them, Why sleep ye? rise and pray, lest ye enter into temptation.
-> Satan Deceived Eve; He Devoured Cain; He Defamed Moses; He Disgraced Samson; He Dethroned Saul, He Defeated David; He Defiled Uzziah, He Destroyed Judas, and He Disabled Paul
-> That is Why Paul Said in 2 Corinthians 2:11 Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices.
I. The Strategy of Deception
a) The First Stage is Prevention -> It Should Come as no Surprise to Us That Satan’s First Goal is to Prevent People From Placing Their Faith in Jesus Christ
-> And He Attempts to do This by Blinding Their Minds to the Truth of the Gospel Genesis 6:5 Says And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.
2 Corinthians 4:3-4 Says This But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: 4 In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.
b) The Second Stage is Perversion -> Satan Knows That He Cannot Prevent Everyone in the World From Hearing the Message; So, His Next Goal is to Pervert the Message
-> 2 Corinthians 11:13-14 Says For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ.14 And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.
Gen 3 v 1 ¶ Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?
-> He Got Her to Doubt the Word of God; And Then, He Came Out and Boldly Denied the Word of God; He Said, “You shall not surely die”
II. The Strategy of Temptation
1) First, Satan Wants Us to Sin Mentally .-> In 2 Corinthians 11:3, Paul Said, But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ
-> Proverbs 23:7 Says For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he:
-> Now, That Verse Also Tells Us That the Jews Referred to the “Heart” in the Way That We Refer to the “Mind”
-> And This Helps Us to Understand What Solomon Meant in Proverbs 4:23 When He Said, Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.
-> In Matthew 5:27-28, Jesus Said, Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery: 28 But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.
-> That’s Why Paul Said This in Philippians 4:8; He Said, Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.
-> Psalms 37:31 Says The law of his God is in his heart; none of his steps shall slide.
-> Psalms 119:11 Says Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.
2) Second, Satan Wants Us to Sin Morally -> Five of These Areas of Weakness are Specifically Addressed in the New Testament
a. Sexual Immorality 1 Cor 7:4-5 The wife hath not power of her own body, but the husband: and likewise also the husband hath not power of his own body, but the wife. 5 Defraud ye not one the other, except it be with consent for a time, that ye may give yourselves to fasting and prayer; and come together again, that Satan tempt you not for your incontinency.
b. Seething Anger Eph 4:26-27 Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath: 27 Neither give place to the devil.
c. Spiritual Rebellion 2 Timothy 2:24-26 Which Says And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient,25 In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth;26 And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.
d. Selfish Greed -> John 13:27 SaysAnd after the sop Satan entered into him. Then said Jesus unto him, That thou doest, do quickly. Mt 26:15 And said unto them, What will ye give me, and I will deliver him unto you? And they covenanted with him for thirty pieces of silver.
e. Stubborn Pride -> In 1 Timothy 3:6,Not a novice, lest being lifted up with pride he fall into the condemnation of the devil.
3) Satan Wants Us to Sin Motivationally -> In 1 Chronicles 21:1, for Example, We Read And Satan stood up against Israel, and provoked David to number Israel.
His Sin of Numbering the People Resulted in 70,000 Deaths
-> The Problem is That When David Numbered the People He Did It for His Own Glory Instead of the Glory of God, and He Was Acting Independently of God
Question: Do You Remember What Happened to King Uzziah?
2 Chron 26:15-16 And he made in Jerusalem engines, invented by cunning men, to be on the towers and upon the bulwarks, to shoot arrows and great stones withal. And his name spread far abroad; for he was marvellously helped, till he was strong.16 ¶ But when he was strong, his heart was lifted up to his destruction: for he transgressed against the LORD his God, and went into the temple of the LORD to burn incense upon the altar of incense.
Famous Christian Businessman “I have a successful business, a large house, a lovely family, a famous name, enough money to do all the things I want and to be able to give to Christian works. What more could God give me?” “A good dose of humility!”
III. The Strategy of Accusation
-> In Revelation 12:10, And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.
-> Now, Suppose That a Christian Does Not Stand Strong in the Lord and in the Strength of His Might as Ephesians 6:10 Tells Us to Do -> As a Result, This Christian Sins IV. The Strategy of Destruction
-> But, Satan Desires to See This Christian Become Doubly Defeated
-> He Tries to Heap Guilt Upon Such a Person to Such an Extent That They Will Become Discouraged, and Defeated, and Fall Into Total Despair
-> John 8:44, Jesus Said, Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.
-> And This is Why It is Very Important to Distinguish Between Spiritual Conviction and Satanic Oppression
-> The Holy Spirit of God Will Lead You to Repentance, But Satan Will Lead You Away From Repentance and Into Remorse
-> 1 John 1:9 Says If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
THE BEST DEFENSE IS A GOOD OFFENSE..
When trouble came Nehemiah didn’t run away and hide, he went on the offensive. He put together a great plan for battle. He encouraged 5 attitudes that need to be implemented in the church today! A. We Need To Walk Prayerfully - v. 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: B. We Need To Watch Persistently- v. 9 - Nevertheless we made our prayer unto our God, and set a watch against them day and night, because of them. C. We Need To Work Purposely- v. 18 - For the builders, every one had his sword girded by his side, and so builded. And he that sounded the trumpet was by me. D. We Need To Witness Positively v.19 And I said unto the nobles, and to the rulers, and to the rest of the people, The work is great and large, and we are separated upon the wall, one far from another.( as one) v.6 So built we the wall; and all the wall was joined together unto the half thereof: for the people had a mind to work. E. We Need To War Progressively - v. 6, So built we the wall; and all the wall was joined together unto the half thereof: for the people had a mind to work.
I tell the parable of warriors three, whose battle was life, just as we.
The first of the warriors entered the fray, speaking his motto just this way:
“The enemy is great and strong, his weapon is hate and his cause is wrong.
I shall fight with sword sharp to kill; I shall fight with might and skill.”
The second of the warriors entered the fray, speaking his motto just this way:
“The enemy is great and strong, his weapon is hate and his cause is wrong.
I shall pray and trust the God I love; I shall leave the fight to the One above.”
The third of the warriors entered the fray, speaking his motto just this way:
“The enemy is great and strong, his weapon is hate, and his cause is wrong.
I shall fight with all my might, with sword and skill for what is right.
And I shall trust and pray and surely know that God alone will win the day.”
The battle was bloody and long, twice the kills for those who were wrong . . . .
The first was defeated for lack of his Lord, the second died because he brought no sword.
The third was the winner that day for he fought with all he had against the wrong
depending in full faith on the God who is strong.
