OFF THE WALL
Nehemiah 6:1-16
by Dr. Larry A. Bergeron
Red Bay COG,June 3, 2001 (PM)
INTRODUCTORY REMARKS
Tonight we are going to have a time of testimonies.
OPENING REMARKS
Turn in your Bibles to the Book of Nehemiah (after Ezra, before Esther)
In a few moments we are going to be reading from CHAPTER SIX
How many of you believe Satan’s desire is to destroy the church?
Do you know how he plans to do that ?
The Word says we are not ignorant of His devises,
One of the ways in which Satan likes to destroy the church is keeping it distracted from doing its work.
Please stand as we read God’s word, Nehemiah 6:1-16
1When word came to Sanballat, Tobiah, Geshem the Arab and the rest of our enemies that I had rebuilt the wall and not a gap was left in it—though up to that time I had not set the doors in the gates—2Sanballat and Geshem sent me this message: “Come, let us meet together in one of the villages on the plain of Ono.”
But they were scheming to harm me; 3so I sent messengers to them with this reply: “I am carrying on a great project and cannot go down. Why should the work stop while I leave it and go down to you?” 4Four times they sent me the same message, and each time I gave them the same answer.
5Then, the fifth time, Sanballat sent his aide to me with the same message, and in his hand was an unsealed letter 6in which was written:
“It is reported among the nations—and Geshem says it is true—that you and the Jews are plotting to revolt, and therefore you are building the wall. Moreover, according to these reports you are about to become their king 7and have even appointed prophets to make this proclamation about you in Jerusalem: ‘There is a king in Judah!’ Now this report will get back to the king; so come, let us confer together.”
8I sent him this reply: “Nothing like what you are saying is happening; you are just making it up out of your head.”
9They were all trying to frighten us, thinking, “Their hands will get too weak for the work, and it will not be completed.”
But I prayed, “Now strengthen my hands.”
10One day I went to the house of Shemaiah son of Delaiah, the son of Mehetabel, who was shut in at his home. He said, “Let us meet in the house of God, inside the temple, and let us close the temple doors, because men are coming to kill you—by night they are coming to kill you.”
11But I said, “Should a man like me run away? Or should one like me go into the temple to save his life? I will not go!” 12I realized that God had not sent him, but that he had prophesied against me because Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him. 13He had been hired to intimidate me so that I would commit a sin by doing this, and then they would give me a bad name to discredit me.
14Remember Tobiah and Sanballat, O my God, because of what they have done; remember also the prophetess Noadiah and the rest of the prophets who have been trying to intimidate me.
15So the wall was completed on the twenty-fifth of Elul, in fifty-two days. 16When 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.
PRAYER
SERMON
Satan wants to keep you OFF THE WALL
The Story of Nehemiah trying to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem
Nehemiah 2:17-20
17Then I said to them, “You see the trouble we are in: Jerusalem lies in ruins, and its gates have been burned with fire. Come, let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem, and we will no longer be in disgrace.” 18I also told them about the gracious hand of my God upon me and what the king had said to me.
They replied, “Let us start rebuilding.” So they began this good work.
19But when Sanballat the Horonite, Tobiah the Ammonite official and Geshem the Arab heard about it, they mocked and ridiculed us. “What is this you are doing?” they asked. “Are you rebelling against the king?”
20I answered them by saying, “The God of heaven will give us success. We his servants will start rebuilding, but as for you, you have no share in Jerusalem or any claim or historic right to it.”
Let us start rebuilding . . . so they began this good work
Sanballat, Tobiah, & Geshem mocked and ridiculed
and even offered to help a little . . .
Nehemiah’s response:
The God of Heaven will give us Success
We, His servants
Will start rebuilding
But you have no share or claim to it
Nehemiah 4:1-9
1When Sanballat heard that we were rebuilding the wall, he became angry and was greatly incensed. He ridiculed the Jews, 2and 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?”
3Tobiah the Ammonite, who was at his side, said, “What they are building—if even a fox climbed up on it, he would break down their wall of stones!”
4Hear us, O our God, for we are despised. Turn their insults back on their own heads. Give them over as plunder in a land of captivity. 5Do not cover up their guilt or blot out their sins from your sight, for they have thrown insults in the face of the builders.
6So we rebuilt the wall till all of it reached half its height, for the people worked with all their heart.
7But when Sanballat, Tobiah, the Arabs, the Ammonites and the men of Ashdod heard that the repairs to Jerusalem’s walls had gone ahead and that the gaps were being closed, they were very angry. 8They all plotted together to come and fight against Jerusalem and stir up trouble against it. 9But we prayed to our God and posted a guard day and night to meet this threat.
Mockers and Ridiculers always get angry when God’s People start doing God’s Work
These types will be guilty before God, because they mock the builders of the walls
5Do not cover up their guilt or blot out their sins from your sight, for they have thrown insults in the face of the builders.
But we prayed to our God and posted a guard day and night to meet this threat
Nehemiah 6:1-2
1When word came to Sanballat, Tobiah, Geshem the Arab and the rest of our enemies that I had rebuilt the wall and not a gap was left in it—though up to that time I had not set the doors in the gates—2Sanballat and Geshem sent me this message: “Come, let us meet together in one of the villages on the plain of Ono.”
We can’t leave our job of building the wall to try to convince the mockers and ridiculers in the plains of Ono.
Nehemiah 6:3-4
But they were scheming to harm me; 3so I sent messengers to them with this reply: “I am carrying on a great project and cannot go down. Why should the work stop while I leave it and go down to you?” 4Four times they sent me the same message, and each time I gave them the same answer.
These kind of mockers and ridiculers try other tactics
Nehemiah 6:5-9
5Then, the fifth time, Sanballat sent his aide to me with the same message, and in his hand was an unsealed letter 6in which was written:
“It is reported among the nations—and Geshem says it is true—that you and the Jews are plotting to revolt, and therefore you are building the wall. Moreover, according to these reports you are about to become their king 7and have even appointed prophets to make this proclamation about you in Jerusalem: ‘There is a king in Judah!’ Now this report will get back to the king; so come, let us confer together.”
8I sent him this reply: “Nothing like what you are saying is happening; you are just making it up out of your head.”
9They were all trying to frighten us, thinking, “Their hands will get too weak for the work, and it will not be completed.”
But I prayed, “Now strengthen my hands.”
They want you to think that you’ve already got a king . . . THEM!!!
They want to rule!
They don’t want to see the walls of God’s people strengthen.
They know it means the end of their power over the people
But Nehemiah knew that God had sent him to do a work
“God will strengthen our hands to do his work”
Nehemiah 6:10-13
10One day I went to the house of Shemaiah son of Delaiah, the son of Mehetabel, who was shut in at his home. He said, “Let us meet in the house of God, inside the temple, and let us close the temple doors, because men are coming to kill you—by night they are coming to kill you.”
11But I said, “Should a man like me run away? Or should one like me go into the temple to save his life? I will not go!” 12I realized that God had not sent him, but that he had prophesied against me because Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him. 13He had been hired to intimidate me so that I would commit a sin by doing this, and then they would give me a bad name to discredit me.
We don’t have to cower down in the face of Satan’s opposition, we can STAY ON THE WALL!!!
If God be for us, who can be against us?
Nehemiah 6:14-16
14Remember Tobiah and Sanballat, O my God, because of what they have done; remember also the prophetess Noadiah and the rest of the prophets who have been trying to intimidate me.
15So the wall was completed on the twenty-fifth of Elul, in fifty-two days. 16When 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.
Judgment will come to those who try to get God’s people off the wall
But when God’s people have accomplished God’s work, the mockers and ridiculers will loose their self-confidence
They will realize that the work had been done with the help of our God.
CLOSE
IF YOU’RE NOT DOING THE WORK OF REBUILDING THE WALLS,
WHO IS KEEPING YOU OFF THE WALL?
STAND UP AND DETERMINE IN YOUR HEART
I WILL NOT LEAVE THE WALL
I WILL NOT CONFIR WITH THE MOCKERS IN ONO (Oh!No!)
Watch out for the people who live in "Oh! No!"land
I WILL NOT STOP MY WORK UNTIL THE WALL IS BUILT
THEN THEY WILL KNOW GOD HAS BEEN WITH US.
IT’S HARVEST TIME!!!
IT’S TIME TO BUILD UP THE WALLS OF THE CHURCH
1 PETER 2
4As you come to him, the living Stone—rejected by men but chosen by God and precious to him—5you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 6For in Scripture it says:
“See, I lay a stone in Zion,
a chosen and precious cornerstone,
and the one who trusts in him
will never be put to shame.”
7Now to you who believe, this stone is precious. But to those who do not believe,
“The stone the builders rejected
has become the capstone, “
8and,
“A stone that causes men to stumble
and a rock that makes them fall.”
They stumble because they disobey the message—which is also what they were destined for.
DON’T GET OFF THE WALL
