1 When Sanballat heard that we were rebuilding the wall, he became angry and was greatly incensed. He ridiculed the Jews,
7 But 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.
The Super Bowl, between the Seahawks and Steelers this year, is the single most watched TV/Internet event of the year. Over 1 billion people will tune in. America’s armed forces will watch the game at 2:30 AM in Iraq. This single sports event brings even the casual observer to the sports dinner table. Sitting alongside the rabid fan is the fair-weathered sports observer who jumps on the bandwagon for a variety of reasons. Johnny-come-lately needs a Super Bowl place setting. Many who tune in will be introduced to a glossary of football terms unknown in their daily language: offsides, instant replay, nickel defense.
Super Bowl 40 analyst John Madden, former professional football coach and Hall of Fame inductee, years ago coined the phrase, “Yards after Contact.” YAC is an acrostic that represents the number of yards a running back makes after an opponent hits him. 1
Today as you watch Seahawk Shawn Alexander shred the Steelers defense much of his success will be determined by this stat: YAC. Some runners go down after initial contact. Others fumble the ball to the opposing team causing a change in game momentum. Great runners who pile up Yards after Contact keep their legs churning, turn their shoulders toward the goal, and make first downs and touch downs in this critical statistical zone. Simply put, if they are to be stopped, they keep moving and require many hits and multiple players to bring them down.
On this Super Bowl Sunday in Seattle (Marysville), Washington, some of you sitting here need to add this term to your Christian vocabulary. In fact, you need to go a step further and make this term a regular part of your daily Christian life. Let’s be honest, when hit by the opposition, it is tempting to quit. When tackled by the opposition, some would prefer to throw the ball down and say, “I quit. I am taking my ball and going home!”
Sitting here today is a friend striving to save a marriage when they get blindsided by the enemy and think of quitting. Someone has chosen to believe by faith for a healing when suddenly the opposition has shaken your confidence with a bad report and you simply exclaim, “What’s the use?”
In our text we are introduced to a Hall of Fame runner named Nehemiah. He piled up more Yards after Contact than any other Old Testament leader, starting in chapter 4 after a successful first half of rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem.
6So we rebuilt the wall till all of it reached half its height, for the people worked with all their heart.
Nehemiah discovers that advancing the football has suddenly become an almost impossible task. After the second half kick-off, Nehemiah’s team goes - three downs and a punt.
Nehemiah’s offense is unable to move the ball. Through the miracle of instant replay you can see these downs in the following verses:
Opposition by Mockery (4:1-6)
Opposition by Conspiracy (4:7-9)
Opposition by Quitting (4:10-11)
The Seahawks, like Nehemiah’s team, had been proving the skeptics wrong all year. When the Seahawks came to Cheney Practice field outside of Spokane, Washington last July, there were few signs that the “Hawks” were Super Bowl bound. When Nehemiah rolled into town in Chapter 2 and walked around the city that lay destroyed by the Babylonians for over 40 years, few that slept that night gave Nehemiah a nod or notice.
12 I set out during the night with a few men. I had not told anyone what my God had put in my heart to do for Jerusalem. (Nehemiah 2:12a)
Only four states in the country, all in the west, Washington, Alaska, Oregon, and Idaho, gave Seattle a fighting chance. All other 46 states gave the win to the Steelers.
In Seattle, Christians root for the Hawks over the Steelers because it’s biblical. John 10:10 says, “The devil comes to Steelers, Kill, and Destroy.” Ha! Ha! Well, it got a laugh in my church.
As the season wore on and the Hawks piled up win after win, it looked like Sporting News had miscalculated by placing the Hawks 3rd in their division and at 7-9 missing the play-offs. It was Dan Pompei in a pre-season issue who said, “The Seahawks need more heart, and it might take a while to develop it.”2
Over 2000 years ago another franchise team did the unexpected - they shocked the country.
In record setting time, Nehemiah mobilized a vast team of lay-construction workers to lay brick and mortar to rebuild the city walls of Jerusalem. No team has ever rivaled the Hebrews as they did the impossible to the glory of God. In a short season, obscure individuals became household names:
12Shallum son of Hallohesh, ruler of a half-district of Jerusalem, repaired the next section with the help of his daughters. (Nehemiah 3:12)
20Next to him, Baruch son of Zabbai zealously repaired another section… (Nehemiah 3:20)
28Above the Horse Gate, the priests made repairs, each in front of his own house.
(Nehemiah 3:20)
Encourage people not to skip over lists in the Bible. It is so easy to do. Chapter three of Nehemiah is one of those skipped over lists. Why does God include these kinds of lists in His Word? Because each name represents a person God can use; He works through people, through individuals. Also, people are the recipient of a promise from God - and God always keeps His promises.
Chapter three of Nehemiah reminds me that great teams achieve great accomplishments because everyone executes their assignment at the highest level of their ability. Names like Hasselbeck, Strong, and Tobek have become household names - three Pro-Bowlers living for Christ and maximizing their athletic potential.
I cut out the names of the Seahawk roster, few known by fans and media before the year started and now they sit on the greatest sport’s stage in the world. I placed them in chapter three of Nehemiah because I recognize the completion of the wall and the winning of the Lombardi Trophy come only to those that don’t quit - Yards after Contact.
Let me suggest two insights to deepen your understanding of how to make Yards after Contact:
Gaining Positive Yards after Contact
1. Dress for contact with your opponent.
9But we prayed to our God and posted a guard day and night to meet this threat. (Nehemiah 4:9)
Engaging the enemy is a daily task. Our only hope for victory is to dress appropriately. Satan is a sinister embodiment of everything hateful. He is the sum of all that is evil and heinous, from the bloated belly of a child in Africa to the shredded carcass of the Palestinian bomber. This same representative from hell shows up every day ready to make contact against you and your family.
From mankind’s sin-drunken fall come deformed bodies, ruined marriages, perverted philosophies, and poisoned minds. The only explanation for why our world looks the way it does is Satan, sin, death, hell. None sitting here today have escaped the consequences. As you line up against his fury, our hope for Yards after Contact is the power of Calvary.
Scripture is filled with ways to dress for contact. In a short list I can suggest two: dress in the full armor of God described in Ephesians 6:13-18, and fight Satan using the weapons of warfare outlined in 2 Corinthians 10:3-5.
In the opening verses of Nehemiah 4, we get a picture of the initial plays from scrimmage as Sanballat and his team attempt to oppose God’s people and their plans. Looking closely at his schemes gives you a picture of the value of dressing properly for contact.
a) Satan engages with relentless attacks
1When Sanballat heard that we were rebuilding the wall, he became angry and was greatly incensed. (Nehemiah 4:1)
Satan’s attacks are without pause. He never takes a vacation. Don’t think He wakes up and says, “I’ll take it easy on them today.” When Satan and Sanballat feel like they are losing control you can expect an attack on your life and family. Satan’s great fear is losing control.
b) Satan exploits your weakness
"What are those feeble Jews doing? Will they restore their wall? (Nehemiah 4:2b).
He has brought down some of the best in the Kingdom of God. Don’t arrogantly think that somehow you are exempt from such a failure. The list of those that the Adversary has won a victory over is impressive: Adam - though he walked with God; David - though he had a heart after God; Solomon - though he possessed so much wisdom; Peter – the water-walker soon to be cross-fleer.
While God wants to give you His strength and power, Satan wants to exploit your weaknesses.
c) Satan distracts you from your relationship to God
“…Will they offer sacrifices?” (Nehemiah 4:2c)
Hurried lives, stress-filled days, the tyranny of the urgent - the good is the enemy of the best! Overworked and overbooked is a formula that keeps people from God’s presence. Satan knows that when God’s people truly worship and serve Him, they experience real power. It is through worship that the foulness of Satan’s efforts is defeated. Declare it today!
d) Satan questions God’s timing
“Will they finish in a day?” (Nehemiah 4:2d)
How often we buy into the nonsense of being concerned with God’s timing. Let it go, dear one! He is working on His timetable not yours or mine. He may pass up an opportunity to act early, but He never misses a chance to be on time. It is the norm in scripture for God’s people to wait. The next time you’re in a hurry or impatient remember God is not the author of such concerns.
One of the great “wait till the last minute” texts is Exodus 14:24. I noticed it as I made my way through my yearly reading of the scriptures. The story is familiar:
Israel is in spiritual cul-de-sac. Pharaoh has not given up yet. The nation is camped near PiHahiroth, between Migdol and the Sea (14:1); an impossible setting. God’s Red Seas open and close at His command. Look at the past midnight hour of deliverance:
24During the last watch of the night the LORD looked down from the pillar of fire and cloud at the Egyptian army and threw it into confusion. (Exodus 14:24)
His promise is a done deal. Maybe not today, but the promise is God’s guarantee!
e) Satan ridicules God’s building materials
Can they bring the stones back to life from those heaps of rubble—burned as they are?" (Nehemiah 4:2e)
Regardless of what gifts you possess or how you have destroyed your life, God is able to rebuild and revive it. He does it from the rubble of your brokenness. That’s what makes it such a miracle. He takes the broken pieces of your life and places them together for his purposes. Don’t let the enemy get to you as he criticizes what you possess.
Bring your broken life to the Savior today, no matter what the Satanic Sanballats are saying. Recognize the adversary’s tactics and don’t believe the press clippings - Seahawks to finish 3rd - Savior squad undermanned, out gunned and hopelessly ill prepared. Don’t believe it for a moment. Expect contact and issue a command today! “I am God’s servant empowered by His Spirit to build for God.” Because of Calvary, you, friend, will make Yards after Contact.
2. Make adjustments at contact with your opponent.
“13Therefore I stationed some of the people behind the lowest points of the wall at the exposed places, posting them by families, with their swords, spears and bows. 14After I looked things over,…” (Nehemiah 4:13-14a)
Great teams make half-time adjustments that win championships. As the clock ticks down to zero the teams return to their locker rooms. While the players are getting rehydrated and medical trainers are inspecting injuries and players are catching their breath, the coaches are huddled in a corner designing a second half plan. Suddenly the coach emerges from the may-ham and gives the directives. This game plan is based two things: what they can exploit from the opponent and who wants the game to be put on their shoulders.
I find four strategies that Nehemiah employed in the second half that helped them complete the wall and earned the team the Gatorade splash. Review these in your Bible. Each one will help you begin to make Yards after Contact in the second half.
a. Remind the team of the goal
“13Therefore I stationed some of the people behind the lowest points of the wall at the exposed places, posting them by families, with their swords, spears and bows. 14After I looked things over,…” (Nehemiah 4:13-14a)
b. Direct the attention to the Lord
14After I looked things over, I stood up and said to the nobles, the officials and the rest of the people, "Don’t be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your brothers, your sons and your daughters, your wives and your homes." (Nehemiah 4:14)
c. Have confidence in your teammates
“…we all returned to the wall, each to his own work.” (Nehemiah 4:15)
d. Find something to rally against
“Wherever you hear the sound of the trumpet, join us there. Our God will fight for us!" (Nehemiah 4:20)
Review these ancient motivational strategies from time to time. They will never be improved upon. The nation of Israel enjoyed years of personal success as they experienced the comforts of safety behind a newly built Jerusalem wall. As the dedication ceremony unfolded, the Hebrews recognized the cause was worth it. Centuries ago a tiny nation of battered people lived in an embarrassing hour. They accepted the fact that their future was limited. Then along came a leader who believed in the YAC concept and taught the strategies of YARDS AFTER CONTACT. Do you?
Summary Comments
1. Super Bowl 40 analyst John Madden, former professional football coach and Hall of Fame inductee, years ago coined the phrase, “Yards after Contact.” YAC is an acrostic that represents the number of yards a running back makes after an opponent hits him. 1
2. From mankind’s sin-drunken fall come deformed bodies, ruined marriages, perverted philosophies, and poisoned minds. The only explanation for why our world looks the way it does is Satan, sin, death, hell. None sitting here today have escaped the consequences. As you line up against his fury, our hope for Yards after Contact is the power of Calvary.
3. Centuries ago a tiny nation of battered people lived in an embarrassing hour. They accepted the fact that their future was limited. Then along came a leader who believed in the YAC concept and taught the strategies of YARDS AFTER CONTACT. Do you?
Surprising Comments
1. In Seattle, Christians root for the Hawks over the Steelers because it is biblical. John 10: 10 says, “The devil comes to Steelers, Kill, and Destroy.” Ha! Ha! Well, it got a laugh in my church.
Chapter three of Nehemiah reminds me that great teams achieve great accomplishments because everyone executes their assignment at the highest level of their ability.
End Notes
(1) O.S. Hawkins. Rebuilding-Study in Nehemiah. Annuity Board-Southern Baptist Convention, Nashville, Tennessee, 1990, pg. 81-82.
(2) Scott M. Johnson. Everett Herald (Seahawks have been proving skeptics wrong all year), Super Bowl XL-Feb. 3, 2006
