LESSONS IN LEADERSHIP – PART SIX
“BLUEPRINT FOR THE BATTLES” 1 OF 2
NEHEMIAH 4:1-6 ● ©Larry L. Thompson (2003)
“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--if even a fox climbed up on it, he would break down their wall of stones!" [4] Hear 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. [5] Do not cover up their guilt or blot out their sins from your sight, for they have thrown insults in the face of the builders. [6] So we rebuilt the wall till all of it reached half its height, for the people worked with all their heart.”
INTRODUCTION:
We are in a period right now as a church where we will have the opportunity to answer the call of God. To follow in the footsteps of those who have gone before us and take up the baton of vision, sacrifice and commitment as we invest in not only the future of our fellowship but as we rebuild the walls of His glory and recapture the imagination of South Florida lifting high the Cross of Christ with full understanding of His promise, “IF I BE LIFTED UP I WILL DRAW ALL MEN UNTO ME.”
Our campus development team has been diligently working for over two years to prepare us for this coming day. The day is coming in which the trumpet of God shall sound in all of our lives and we will be called to the challenge and the work of God. We will be called to join our hearts, our hands and our very lives as we submit to God and ask Him to use us to make HIS mark on this generation.
It will be an exciting time, a challenging time and for many a first time to see God use you and to realize what can happen when God’s people have a mind to do His work, His way. However, today we will learn an absolutely essential principle that must be received before we enter into this time together. We will discover today that in every great movement of God among His people there will be an opposition that will attempt to stop that Sovereign work.
However, attacks are not simply isolated to ministry. Every profession has them, every person has to deal with them, and certainly any LEADER will face the attacks as they exercise their leadership…either leading a family, an organization, a business and even in ministry. One thing is certain…if you are a leader, there will be battles so you better have a blueprint for the opposition and the blueprint better be biblical if you ever hope to be an overcomer instead of one who was overcome.
I. THE IDENTITY THE ATTACKER (verse 1)
“When Sanballat heard that we were rebuilding the wall, he became angry and was greatly incensed. He ridiculed the Jews”
A. THOSE THREATENED BY ANOTHER’S SUCCESS
This is a key principle in this story as it relates to every great work of God. There will always be opposition because there are always those who stand to lose position or power or prestige when God begins to work in the lives of others. Examine:
Neh. 2:10
“When Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite official heard about this, they were very much disturbed that someone had come to promote the welfare of the Israelites.”
Sanballat was a Hornite and came from Beth Horon, 8 miles NW of Jerusalem. He was Governor of that community and obviously wanted to include Jerusalem within his domain. In our society very few people are altruistic. They are out for themselves and when another moves forward others will do all they can if they believe it will diminish their own position.
B. THOSE JEALOUS OF ANOTHER’S WORK
Sometimes opposition will come against a leader not because of a real threat but simply because of jealousy. It is the oldest trick in the book that when one person is praised because of their work or heart others will through jealousy do what that can to criticize and cause disharmony to take the attention away from the success. (Neh. 2:10)
C. THOSE WITH DIFFERENT AGENDAS
We see this so often in a post-Christian America. A group in Orlando sued the city to remove a manger scene from the public property even though the manger had occupied that spot for years each Christmas. Was the manger a personal threat to the civil liberties group? Of course not. Any display of religion in a public place is their agenda and so goes the reason for opposition. We must be prepared as we launch forward with the rebuilding of our walls at First Baptist and know there will be those who have different agendas than ours and we will face opposition.
D. THOSE WHO MAY FEEL EXCLUDED
The majority of the time the reasons we exclude others is not for godly reasons but sinful. However, we must also realize that there is a time when there will be exclusion, not resulting from man’s sin but from the Father’s scripture.
Matthew 25:31-33 (NIV)
“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. [32] All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. [33] He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.”
The church of Jesus Christ has a unique identity that MUST NOT BE LOST. We are joined together because of our faith in Jesus Christ alone as our Savior, we have trusted Him and we have a desire to follow Him by obeying His commands. The church is not a social club and if our doctrine of commitment to Christ causes some to feel excluded there is nothing we can do about that situation. Nehemiah refused to allow anyone but the Jews to work on the walls…why? Because the Jerusalem is the city of God, set apart for the glory of God and the presence of God and the leader sought to preserve the spiritual integrity.
E. THOSE WHO ARE SUSPECT OF THE MOTIVATION
This attack is used by Sanballat and Tobiah not as a legitimate attack but a cover-up to hide the real truth behind their schemes. Examine:
Neh. 2:19 (NIV)
“But 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?”
Isn’t it amazing how some people can sound so pious and spiritual when the tragic truth is there is the ulterior motive to destroy the work and the leader?
F. THOSE WHO LOSE PERSONAL STATURE OR POSITION
This is one of the key truths regarding leadership. HEAR THIS WELL. Leaders get their self-worth from either their position or title or their confident assurance that they are in the center of God’s will and helping to pursue God’s plan for God’s glory. If you take away the position then you see the true nature of the person and the heart is revealed for what is really present.
G. THOSE WHO SIMPLY RESIST ALL CHANGE
This is very common among God’s people in the church. We have all heard the story of the seven most common words spoken in the church; “We’ve never done it that way before.” The real danger is that without change we become comfortable and before long we are a part of a church that promises much but requires little if any commitment. A church where there is no expectation to witness to your friends, to live a godly life, to sacrificially give, to be aware of your responsibilities will begin to experience an attitude that is deadly and could lead to a dying transformation.
H. SATANIC OPPOSITION TO STOP A WORK OF GOD
We must understand that all opposition is NOT Satanic. However, Satan does not usually cause the problems; he merely exploits a plan, problem or existing condition and will use any individual who is not walking in the spirit to accomplish this attack. Dr. James Montgomery Boice, famous pastor, teacher, author and host of the Bible Study Hour makes this excellent observation:
“Those Christians in our inner city MUST realize the difficulty of their work and the opposition they will face. The inner cities of America have become strongholds for Satan. Whenever a church begins to believe God to impact the inner city you can expect opposition by those who hate God and hate the stand of His people.”
Is it any wonder that Chuck Swindoll says, “It is imperative that every good leader learn the lesson that in order to survive you must have thick skin!”
II. THE INTENSITY OF THE ATTACKS (verse 2-3)
“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? Tobiah 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!”
Dealing with criticism is one of the greatest challenges a leader will face. It hurts to be misunderstood. It hurts when people misjudge your motives and doubt your sincerity. When a leader is trying to do his job, it is hard to keep going when he or she is under attack by the constant clatter of their critics. Obviously, we live in a very critical society and the criticism expresses itself in many different forms.
ILLUSTRATION OF ROAD RAGE:
You don’t have to be in south Florida long to know that if you wait one mila-second after the light turns green somebody is going to be on their horn. I call them honk-a-second drivers. They wait less than one second after a green light and then honk. I learned my lesson early about driving in South Florida. My car stalled in heavy traffic just as the light turned green. I kept trying to start the engine, but it refused to start. While this was happening some guy with an IQ one point lower than a plant started in laying on his horn. Finally, I got out of his car, walked to the car behind him and said, "I’m, sorry sir, but I can’t seem to get my car started, but if you’ll go up there and try to start it for me, I’ll stay back here and make sure to keep honking your horn."
That’s what dealing with criticism is like. You’re trying to get something started, to get momentum and all you can hear is the incessant honking of the critics. When Nehemiah began rebuilding the wall of Jerusalem, he too had to endure a blast of criticism. It began with Sanballat and Tobiah laughing at and ridiculing the work that he had started. But it got worse-much worse- until eventually it deteriorated to open hostility and threats of death. The criticism that we see in this text is expressed in three stages with gradual increase of intensity in each stage.
A. INSULTS (verse 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?” Notice that the attacks came first with insults or ridicule. The easiest way to oppose something is to insult it or make it the object of ridicule. This is exactly the first strategy that Nehemiah’s enemies were using. Do you know why this is normally the first plan of attack? It is the easiest way to attack. People will insult and ridicule those they oppose because it is easy and it is the quickest way to demoralize the leader and people. Insults and ridicule strike at the very heart of the insecurity that most every one of us have in our life.
Observe these principles about the insult:
• Always SPOKEN in the presence of others because others will normally repeat the insult or ridicule they have heard.
• Always ACKNOWLEDGES a portion of the truth. It is that truth that begins to haunt the leader and people. “We really are feeble, there is not that many of us here and what makes us think we can really accomplish this task?”
B. INNUENDOS
“…Will they offer sacrifices?” Secondly we now see an attack with the innuendos. Webster defines innuendos as “a hint or veiled reflection on character or reputation.” What does it mean “will they offer sacrifices?” The way this is written it is referring to the “THANKSGIVING SACRIFICES” that are offered after the completion of a God ordained project. The innuendos is two-fold: “Do you really believe that the day will come when you will honestly give thanks to the Lord for completing this impossible project?” Secondly, “It can also be an innuendos that gives reference to the thought, “Why don’t you just pray it up…let your God build it himself and then give thanks.” The innuendos is that you are facing an impossible task that will result in not only your failure but will also reflect on the inability of YOUR GOD to ACCOMPLISH HIS WORK THROUGH YOU.
C. INTIMIDATION
“…Will they finish in a day? Can they bring the stones back to life from those heaps of rubble--burned as they are? Tobiah 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!” Finally the attack is presented in the form of intimidation. “DON’T YOU REALIZE THIS IS A RIDICULOUS TASK, AN IMPOSSIBLE TASK?” The intimidation was scene in the following stages:
• OVERWHELM THEM WITH THE SIZE OF THE PROJECT. TWO AND A HALF MILES IN CIRCUMFERENCE!
• FORCE THEM TO LOOK AT THEIR RESOURCES. Fallen, broken and burned stones. Here again is the lie with a little bit of truth. The gates were burned, the walls were broken. THE WALLS OF JERUSALEM ARE NOT LIMESTONE which could be burned with intense heat. The stones didn’t crumble, they only tumbled and there is a huge difference.
• REMIND THEM OF THEIR ABILITY. Listen to what Tobiah said, “…if even a fox climbed up on it he would break it down.” What we know from excavation is that Nehemiah’s wall was not as durable and constructed with the same quality as the previous wall. That would be obvious to some of the workers. Yet remember, the intimidation, innuendos and insult all have the SAME PURPOSE: They were used in an attempt to STOP THE WORK OF GOD AMONG GOD’S PEOPLE.
III. THE IMMUNITY TO THE ATTACKS (verse 4-6)
“Hear 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. [5] Do not cover up their guilt or blot out their sins from your sight, for they have thrown insults in the face of the builders. [6] So we rebuilt the wall till all of it reached half its height, for the people worked with all their heart.”
Through all three levels of criticism, Nehemiah remained firm, resolved and appeared to be immune to the attacks of his enemies and continued to lead and give hope to the people of God. Today, we’re going to look at how Nehemiah was able to defuse criticism and paralyze the opposition. We have much to learn from Nehemiah, because his methods go against every natural inclination we have. When the enemies began attacking Nehemiah, his first response was to rely on...
A. THE POWER OF PRAYER (verse 4-5)
“Hear 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. Do not cover up their guilt or blot out their sins from your sight, for they have thrown insults in the face of the builders.”
Make no mistake that you do not miss this point. His first response to the battle was not to retaliate but to PRAY. This prayer sounds rather unusual-instead of "forgive their sins" he prays "don’t forgive their sins." Nehemiah asks God to cause his critics’ insults to turn back on their own heads. This prayer might sound vengeful when compared to the prayer of Stephen as he is being stoned (Acts 7:60), or the prayer of Jesus as He died on the cross (Luke 23:34). But before we pass judgment on Nehemiah’s prayer, let’s not miss the point: Nehemiah FIRST, prayed about his problem. In the course of his prayer he was able to vent and release his anger to the Lord. He could have taken matters into his own hands. He could have exacted vengeance on his enemies. He could have attacked-verbally or physically-Sanballat and Tobiah. He could have "taught them a lesson." In fact, I’m sure that is what he was tempted to do, but he didn’t give in to the temptation. From the beginning, Nehemiah had trusted God to guide him through this entire project, and he wasn’t about to change his strategy now. His prayer may have been a little rough around the edges, but it reflected his commitment to letting God control the details of his life.
It’s not pleasant to consider that we have enemies, but it’s true. Anyone who wants to follow Christ will experience opposition. The Bible says...
“In fact, everyone who wants to live a Godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.”
(2 Timothy 3:12)
“Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 5:10)
CRITICISM IS DEFUSED AND THIS LEADER IS IMMUNE FROM THE ATTACKS, FIRST OF ALL, BY TAKING HIS POSITION IN PRAYER. Let God handle it. The battle belongs to the Lord, not us.
NEHEMIAH’S SECOND RESPONSE TO THE ATTACKS WAS SEEN IN…
B. THE PARTNERSHIP WITH THE PEOPLE (verse 6)
“So we rebuilt the wall till all of it reached half its height, for the people worked with all their heart.”
Next, I want you to notice the second step in defusing the attacks to establish the immunity from their intent to stop or destroy the work was seen in his partnership with the people. They shared the common VISION and Nehemiah led the people back to the FOCUS of the work the Lord had placed before them. The natural reaction to any of these attacks is to stop everything and deal with the problem, but that’s the worst thing a Christian leader can do.
Personal Illustration:
Several years ago an individual sent out a letter to a number of different people. The letter was attacking me personally and yet I never received the letter and the individual never came to me personally to discuss their concerns. The letter was filled with insults, innuendos and intimidation. There were several statements that were totally untrue. My first response was fight, to take a stand, to defend myself and yet the morning after I became aware of the letter, this is the word I read in my daily Bible Study:
1 Peter 3:8-9 (NLT)
“Finally, all of you should be of one mind, full of sympathy toward each other, loving one another with tender hearts and humble minds. [9] Don’t repay evil for evil. Don’t retaliate when people say unkind things about you. Instead, pay them back with a blessing. That is what God wants you to do, and he will bless you for it.”
Jesus was perfect, yet He was criticized, insulted, ridiculed opposed and persecuted from the day He began His ministry until the day His enemies put Him to death. If people attacked Jesus, who was perfect, they’ll certainly criticize and attack Christian leaders of today, who are prone to mistakes. When the crowds mocked and insulted Christ, how did He respond? He was silent. And even when they crucified Him, He said, "Father forgive them..." He didn’t strike back or retaliate. He just kept doing His work, in perfect partnership with the Father and the Holy Spirit.
Abraham Lincoln wasn’t the only great president to have lots of enemies but he did give us some great advice. When told by his associates that he should make a statement to attempt to minimize the damage of the criticism made against him and he replied, “I will not give an answer to these fools. My enemies will not believe my answer and my friends do not need it.”
No leader is immune to criticism, but a great leader knows that the way to be immune to the power of the attack and to defuse any insult, innuendos or attempt at intimidation is to pray and stay focused on building a partnership with the people that keeps their eyes on the vision that God has given. That’s what Jesus did, that’s what Paul did, and that’s what Nehemiah did and that is what we must do as we face this exciting future before us.
CONCLUSION
It’s easy for churches, ministries, businesses or leaders to get distracted and start attacking their critics instead of focusing on Christ and His work for His people. It is amazing the number of religious organizations who define themselves by who they’re against or what they don’t believe. That wasn’t how Nehemiah did it. His strategy was “Pray and Partner, don’t panic don’t attack-just watch each other’s back.”
Opposition is an inevitable part of the process of leadership.
There’s a story about Bill Mazzoroski and Yogi Berra during a world series game between the Pirates and the Yankees. 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."
That’s how a great leader or great team defuses criticism-they keep their eye on the ball. They remain focused on the work that God has called him to do. Nehemiah didn’t go to Jerusalem to fight. He went to build a wall, and he refused to get sidetracked, even by death threats. Like all leaders, he faced opposition. We have seen today what made Nehemiah a great leader. We can emulate these principles, even in the face of criticism; we will keep our hearts filled with faith and our focus securely on Christ.
TODAY’S QUESTION IS:
Are you standing on the outside of the walls doing all you can to stop a work of God or are you on the inside of the walls praying and partnering with God’s people to accomplish God’s vision for this hour?
