STEADY NOW
Nehemiah 6:1-19
S: Courage
Th: Brave Hearts
Pr: WE MUST HAVE COURAGE TO KEEP STEADY.
?: What will keep us from doing so?
Inductive
KW: Distractions
TS: We will find in our study of Nehemiah 6:1-19 four
distractions that keep us from completing our holy ambition.
The _____ distraction is…
I. INSINCERITY (1-4)
II. INACCURACY (5-9)
III. INTIMIDATION (10-14)
IV. INFILTRATION (17-19)
Version: ESV
RMBC 23 Feb 03 AM
INTRODUCTION:
Do you ever get distracted?
Master Sergeant Patrick Hathaway’s squad leader decided to try to break the base record of 424 push-ups. With their Physical-Training Instructor standing over him, he knocked out 100 quick ones before he settled into a steady rhythm. We were sure he’d break the record, but at 390 he paused at the top and began to shake his head from side to side before slowly continuing. After finishing his 402nd push-up, he paused again, shook his head, coughed, then collapsed. As we walked back to our barracks, our instructor cracked a rare smile. “You gotta give that guy credit,” he said. “If he had just been able to shake that wasp away from his face instead of inhaling it, he’d have broken the record for sure.”
Today, our subject is distractions.
TRANSITION:
Let’s first remember our…
1. Context: God has called on Nehemiah to make a difference.
When Nehemiah was confronted with the conditions in Jerusalem, he understood that God was calling on him to bring the necessary change.
Courageously, he asks the king permission to go to Jerusalem to build the wall, knowing that to do so was also asking the king to change his former edict of keeping the walls down.
Because of his good standing with the king, his request was granted and Nehemiah made the two-month 1000-mile journey.
The building of the wall did begin, but it has not been easy.
For…
2. When God gives us a holy ambition, we will encounter interference from without and within.
God has given Nehemiah a holy task and a holy desire to accomplish something great for Him.
But with this holy ambition has come hostility.
The surrounding governors, officials and businessmen have been determined to stop him.
Unsuccessfully, they have sought to instill fear in the people and in Nehemiah, but ultimately it has proved unfruitful.
What has also interfered, though, is sin inside the city walls.
Nehemiah discovers that the rich were oppressing the poor.
Because it was obvious that Nehemiah was not in this project for personal gain, the leaders backed down and confessed their sin.
Nehemiah has already demonstrated to us the importance of keeping one’s focus.
In keeping with this theme, we will give consideration of how one keeps that focus.
How does the leader keep a steady hand?
So…
3. We will find in our study of Nehemiah 6:1-19 four distractions that keep us from completing our holy ambition.
OUR STUDY:
I. The first distraction is INSINCERITY (1-4).
Now when Sanballat and Tobiah and Geshem the Arab and the rest of our enemies heard that I had built the wall and that there was no breach left in it (although up to that time I had not set up the doors in the gates), Sanballat and Geshem sent to me, saying, “Come and let us meet together at Hakkephirim in the plain of Ono.” But they intended to do me harm. And I sent messengers to them, saying, “I am doing a great work and I cannot come down. Why should the work stop while I leave it and come down to you?” And they sent to me four times in this way, and I answered them in the same manner.
1. We must be discerning about those that suddenly act like friends.
We see that Sanballat, Tobiah and Geshem have changed tactics.
Now that the wall is almost finished, they have resorted to friendliness and persuasion.
Though we are not told directly, it could be they said things like…
“Come and meet us, so we can celebrate together.”
“Let’s meet together to discuss subjects that will be of profit to us all.”
Nehemiah sees it, though, for what it is.
They were trying to lure him away from Jerusalem.
They were attempting to get him away from his colleagues and closer to enemy territory.
But you have to admire him.
He says, “Oh, no!” to Ono.
And he explains why he will not come.
“I am doing a great work!”
“I have a great calling!”
“God has given me this project.”
Nehemiah keeps his focus and remembers his priorities.
You see…
2. We need to understand that to come down is a step down.
ILL Notebook: Calling (missionary in China)
In the first half of the 20th century, there was a missionary in China who did a great job as a linguist and a diplomat in his work for the Lord. His abilities were so outstanding that one of the American companies in China tried to hire him. They offered him an attractive job with a salary to match, but he turned them down. He told them that God had sent him to China as a missionary and that was what he was going to do. He thought that would end the matter, but instead they came back with a better offer and an increase in salary. He turned that down too, but again they came back, doubling the salary that had originally been proposed. Finally he said to them, “It is not your salary that is too little. It’s the job that’s too small!”
In the same way, Nehemiah understands that to come off the wall was outside of the will of God.
His job was too big to come down.
Besides, their sincerity was really pretend.
They were going to harm him, not help him.
We do not know how he knows exactly, but he has the discernment to see through their plot.
Nehemiah demonstrates to us that not every opportunity is heaven sent.
We cannot always rely on the circumstances to discern God’s will.
In fact, even good things have the potential to distract us from the best things.
This is why being devoted to God and attuned to His Spirit is so essential.
It keeps us from being sidetracked.
Now we come to…
II. The second distraction is INACCURACY (5-9).
In the same way Sanballat for the fifth time sent his servant to me with an open letter in his hand. In it was written, “It is reported among the nations, and Geshem also says it, that you and the Jews intend to rebel; that is why you are building the wall. And according to these reports you wish to become their king. And you have also set up prophets to proclaim concerning you in Jerusalem, ‘There is a king in Judah.’ And now the king will hear of these reports. So now come and let us take counsel together.” Then I sent to him, saying, “No such things as you say have been done, for you are inventing them out of your own mind.” For they all wanted to frighten us, thinking, “Their hands will drop from the work, and it will not be done.” But now, O God, strengthen my hands.
1. We must realize that the truth is not always going to be told.
When the enticement to come away from Jerusalem does not work, the true motives of Sanballat, Tobiah and Geshem are exposed.
So this time, they get the rumor mill going.
They send an unsealed letter.
This means that as it makes its way to Nehemiah, anybody could read it.
And in this letter, they questioned his integrity as a leader.
We might laugh at the silliness of this thought, but the problem is that this approach works.
People tend to believe the worse about others, and especially their leaders.
And lies have a way of getting a life of their own.
They get repeated so much, that people begin to believe them.
So over and over again, people read the news that Nehemiah is leading a revolution.
He just wants to be king!
He is just going to get everyone in trouble and Artaxerxes will come down and destroy the place.
It must have been very hard for Nehemiah to hear such accusations.
He had come all this way for the good of Jerusalem.
He has lived with integrity.
And then, he is accused of the very opposite…the very thing he is not doing.
ILL Anonymous letters
(this comes from a message by Ray Stedman on the same text, but it is identical with my own experience and practice)
I am reminded of the anonymous letters that pastors sometimes get in the mail. On occasion I have been on the receiving end of unsigned letters taking me to task or complaining about some matter. My practice through the years has been to throw such letters in the wastebasket. If people will not sign their name, there is no use in paying attention to what they have to say. Such letters are the work of cowards, or perhaps fools.
I heard once of a man who was addressing an audience and someone sent a piece of paper up to him with the “Fool” written on it. He said to the audience, “I have received many unsigned messages in the past, but this is the first time I have ever received one from a man who signed his name, but wrote no message!”
So, what is Nehemiah going to do in response to these attacks?
Well, we learn here that…
2. We must be disciplined about arguments.
Saying less is more.
We must realize that when we are making a difference for the Lord, we will be criticized.
When the criticism comes, it is most tempting to take the time to defend our integrity.
It is tempting to spend a lot of emotional strength and time arguing our case.
We must learn, however, to take it in stride and not say too much, if anything at all.
We must learn to let time and patience do their work.
For when we do, the worst accusations are seen for what they are and those who have perpetrated them will be discredited.
Nehemiah knew this open letter and its accusations were ridiculous.
But he refused to be belittled, deflected or embittered.
He did not focus on his own anger.
Instead, he shows us that…
3. We must always look to the Source of our strength.
I believe Nehemiah was a normal being.
I am sure that he was hurt and discouraged by these accusations.
Nevertheless, he is able to continue.
Why?
Because he knows who can handle it.
He keeps his eyes on God, instead of how he feels.
He asks for God strength to keep to the holy ambition.
Now we come to the…
III. The third distraction is INTIMIDATION (10-14).
Now when I went into the house of Shemaiah the son of Delaiah, son of Mehetabel, who was confined to his home, he said, “Let us meet together in the house of God, within the temple. Let us close the doors of the temple, for they are coming to kill you. They are coming to kill you by night.” But I said, “Should such a man as I run away? And what man such as I could go into the temple and live? I will not go in.” And I understood and saw that God had not sent him, but he had pronounced the prophecy against me because Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him. For this purpose he was hired, that I should be afraid and act in this way and sin, and so they could give me a bad name in order to taunt me. Remember Tobiah and Sanballat, O my God, according to these things that they did, and also the prophetess Noadiah and the rest of the prophets who wanted to make me afraid.
At this point in the text, we learn that…
1. We must not fall for fear.
Nehemiah comes to the home of the Shemaiah, who is confined to his home.
We do not know he is confined, but what it does is create a sense of mystery about Shemaiah.
There is a sense that he “knows more” than others and so he should be listened to.
Shemaiah’s advice is that Nehemiah needs to hide, and more specifically, in the temple.
He needs to hide because Nehemiah’s life is threatened.
Nehemiah sees through this as well.
He knew that according to the law (Numbers 3:10) that it was a sin for him to go into the temple.
The temple was serviced by the priests, and it was not a hiding place for governors.
The law did make provision for asylum in the temple (Numbers 35:6ff), but this was not an occasion that Nehemiah could use.
His example is a good one for us.
For if advice goes contrary to God’s Word, it is not from God.
Therefore…
2. We must be aware of the enemy’s tricks.
Nehemiah knew that his place was out in front of the people; it was not in hiding.
He was a part of something bigger than himself.
His focus was not to be in self-preservation, but rather in the task he has been given.
God had not sent him to start a wall, but to finish one.
Nehemiah sees through the whole plot, and though it too must have angered him, he once again shows us what to do with such anger.
He shows us that…
3. We must always give issues of justice to the Lord.
God is the Vindicator.
God knows the hearts and the corrupt motives of Nehemiah’s enemies.
God is going to take care of this, for as they devise a present destruction for Nehemiah, in reality they are preparing a grim future for themselves.
In the same way, we are not to give in to fear.
We are not to evaluate situations on the basis of what bad thing might happen.
Instead, we evaluate according to what good thing God has called us to.
We are not to be distracted by intimidation.
Now we come to…
IV. The fourth distraction is INFILTRATION (17-19).
We are skipping a few verses here, but we will come back to them in a moment.
Moreover, in those days the nobles of Judah sent many letters to Tobiah, and Tobiah’s letters came to them. For many in Judah were bound by oath to him, because he was the son-in-law of Shecaniah the son of Arah: and his son Jehohanan had taken the daughter of Meshullam the son of Berechiah as his wife. Also they spoke of his good deeds in my presence and reported my words to him. And Tobiah sent letters to make me afraid.
It is here that we learn a most important lesson…
1. We must never let our guard down.
The moment that we think we are through, we are through.
We need to remember that the devil doesn’t give up.
We learn here in this portion of the text that there is an insipid evil within the walls of Jerusalem.
One of Nehemiah’s named enemies, Tobiah, is related by marriage to people on the inside.
Therefore, throughout this building process, there has been constant communication.
Tobiah has had inside information the whole time.
The enemy had infiltrated their ranks.
Not only that, many were “under oath,” which probably means they had been “bought” one way or another by business propositions.
Therefore, among the nobility, it was virtually impossible for Nehemiah to distinguish between enemy and friend.
Who could he trust?
Nehemiah’s dilemma shows us that as believers…
2. We must always seek purity.
We must not enter into ungodly alliances.
And even as this text shows, marriage is one of them!
We should only enter into a marriage contract with someone that uncompromisingly shares the same values as we do.
The enemy loves it when a Christian marries a non-Christian, because the relationship is full of compromise.
Spiritual convictions are shoved to second place, or lower.
The enemy will have infiltrated our ranks, and successfully distracted us from the holy ambition God has for us.
APPLICATION:
Let’s return now to those missing verses and see that…
1. The mission was accomplished (15-16)!
So the wall was finished on the twenty-fifth day of the month Elul, in fifty-two days. And when all our enemies heard of it, all the nations around us were afraid and fell greatly in their own esteem, for they perceived that this work had been accomplished with the help of our God.
Mission accomplished!
Not only was it accomplished, it was done with amazing speed – 52 days -- during the heat of summer.
It was so miraculous that even the enemies had to agree that God was at work among them.
This kind of success teaches us that…
2. WE MUST HAVE COURAGE TO KEEP STEADY.
Again, we must realize that the devil never quits.
He will do everything he possibly can to keep us from finishing.
ILL Notebook: Finish (Liddell)
Many of you might remember the movie called Chariots of Fire. It was the true story of Eric Liddell, a man who ran for Scotland, then went on to become a missionary.
In an early scene in the film, in 1923, Liddell was running in a meet between England, Ireland and Scotland. He ran the 100, 220 and 440-yard events.
In the 440, he got off to a bad start. When that gun sounded, there was a lot of shoving to get in front to the inside lane, the advantageous position. Liddell tangled feet with J.J. Gillies of England and tumbled to the track. He sat there dazed for a moment, not knowing whether to get up, when the official screamed, “Get up and run!”
He jumped to his feet and took off after the pack, which was now a full twenty yards ahead of him. In a quarter mile, that’s a big distance to make up. In his unorthodox style of running he took off after the pack. He pulled into fourth, ten yards behind the leader, J.J. Gillies.
With forty yards to go, he pulled into third place, then second. Right at the tape he passed Gillies, won the race, and collapsed to the track in total exhaustion.
Liddell shook off the distraction and finished well.
Is that something that can be or will be said of you?
You see…
3. We must persist so that we will finish well (II Timothy 4:7).
Paul testified to finishing well, as he said:
“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.”
Let me share a few personal examples as I close…
This verse written to Timothy I just quoted was used in reference to Jack Corbett just over a week ago.
The testimonies that were shared during the memorial service demonstrated the appropriateness of that verse.
Testimony after testimony shared how this one dear man influenced boy after boy for the cause of Christ.
Perhaps the most powerful testimony came from his own son, Tom, who said, “He was a faithful, honorable man of God.”
I also was impressed with a man that I visited this week.
The last several years have been very difficult for him health-wise.
There has been many times when he has been close to entering into eternity.
But he also realizes that though he is mostly blind, there must be more for him to do.
Harry Elliott asked me this week, “Pastor, what can I do?”
It was the question and the longing of man that wants to finish well.
Do you have the courage to keep steady and finish the wall God has given you?
BENEDICTION: [Counselors are ]
Keep a steady hand…because the enemy wants to distract you, he will do everything he can to keep you from finishing, whether it is false praise, lies, or fear; do not give in – keep to the task.
Keep a steady hand…because the enemy wants to distract you, he will do everything he can to cause you to compromise your walk with Christ; do not give in – keep to the task.
Keep a steady hand…because the enemy wants to distract you, stay at the wall and finish well, for you have been given a great work.
Now may the God of peace equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.
