WHEN GODS PEOPLE SEEK TO LIVE HOLY LIVES, LIVE IN ACCORDANCE TO HIS WORD, AND ACCOMPLISH KINGDOM WORK, THERE WILL BE TROUBLE.

Jesus promised us this, “In this world you will have

…” - John 16:33

Christianity doesn’t insulate us from problems. In fact, many of the problems we face are actually

to our Christian faith.

FOR NEHEMIAH – Life was good.
- He was iving in the capital city of the Persian Empire
- Had an office in the Citadel
- Was a high ranking Government official with top level security clearance

AND THEN The Lord began to move on His heart. From that moment, as we’ve seen so far in this series, he encounters one problem after another.

When Nehemiah reached Jerusalem and convinced the Jews there to partner with him, he still faced a huge logistical problem in rebuilding the massive walls of Jerusalem…but that wasn’t his biggest problem.

There were some who were determined to prevent him from accomplishing this task.

“When Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite official heard that someone had come to pursue the prosperity of the Israelites, they were greatly displeased” —Nehemiah 2:10

Their opposition may have been provoked by

, greed, selfishness, or jealousy. But, whatever their motives, they were determined to

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Nehemiah.

“When Sanballat the Horonite, Tobiah the Ammonite official, and Geshem the Arab heard about this, they mocked and despised us, and said, “What is this you’re doing? Are you rebelling against the king?” —Nehemiah 2:19

Sanballat, Tobiah, and Geshem had combined form a coalition to

the rebuilding of Jerusalem’s walls and they were relentless.

LET’S LOOK AT THE PROBLEMS THESE MEN POSED

To Hinder Gods Work, Opposition Will Plant Seeds Of

“When Sanballat heard that we were rebuilding the wall, he became furious. He mocked the Jews before his colleagues and the powerful men of Samaria and said, “What are these pathetic Jews doing? Can they restore it by themselves? Will they offer sacrifices? Will they ever finish it? Can they bring these burnt stones back to life from the mounds of rubble?” Then Tobiah the Ammonite, who was beside him, said, “Indeed, even if a fox climbed up what they are building, he would break down their stone wall!” —Nehemiah 4:1-3

When we were introduced to Nehemiah’s critics, we saw that they were displeased after hearing that there was a man who had plans to rebuild Jerusalem. Now there’s fury.

They seek to plant seeds of doubt through antagonism,

, and ridicule.

Like most attacks of discouragement, there is a trace of

in the words of the enemy.

To Halt Gods Work, Opposition Will Attempt A

“When Sanballat, Tobiah, and the Arabs, Ammonites, and Ashdodites heard that the repair to the walls of Jerusalem was progressing and that the gaps were being closed, they became furious. They all plotted together to come and fight against Jerusalem and throw it into confusion” —Nehemiah 4:7-8

Contextually, this lowest point in the spirits of those doing the work.
Verse 10 strikes a somber not in describing the hearts of the people:
“The strength of the laborer

, since there is so much rubble. We will never be able to rebuild the wall.”

With this opening, the enemy planned to infiltrate.

“They won’t realize it until we’re among them and can kill them and stop the work.” —Nehemiah 4:11

When the Lord is moving in the lives of his people, or in the life of a church, Satan will sabotage that work by stirring up Gods people through a

in sheep’s clothing and sometimes even through a deceived or disgruntled member of the

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.

He Infiltrates Through A Fasle Prophet

“Some people, who were designated for this judgment long ago, have come in by stealth; they are ungodly, turning the grace of our God into sensuality and denying Jesus Christ, our only Master and Lord.” —Jude 4

The primary difference between a true prophet of God and false prophets was their

of information. Rather than speak the Word of the Lord, false prophets delivered messages that originated in their own hearts and minds or from Satan himself.

God distances Himself from all false prophets:

“I did not send these prophets, yet they have run with their message; I did not speak to them, yet they have prophesied” —Jeremiah 23:21

Another difference between true prophets and false prophets in the Bible is

. True prophets are motivated by a passion for the Gospel and a loyalty to God above all else, whereas false prophets are motivated by self-interest, power,

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and prestige.

Jesus warned – > “Be on your

against false prophets who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravaging wolves” —Matthew 7:15

SATAN SEEKS TO DISRUPT GODS PLANS THROUGH DECIEVED OR DISGRUNTED SAINTS

Think about Simon Peter. He was the Apostle to the Jews, a man whose declaration that Christ was Son Of the Living God was the foundation upon which the church was built!

Yet, there was a season in which Simon Peter was deceived about

conversion and disgruntled over how they were being viewed.

Satan used this to cause disunity in the church. In Galatians 2, we find that even

was being influenced by Simon Peters error.

Thankfully, through a God given vision and a difficult conversation that Paul had with him, Simon Peter saw the light and the course of church history was changed.

WHETHER through intentional deceptive false prophets or deceived and disgruntled brothers and sisters, opposition to Gods work will attempt to infiltrate and takeover.

Satan will use both the

and the

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to disrupt Gods plans.

How does he respond to the resistance, slander, false accusations, and threats

1. Confidence In The Lord

When we face opposition, our immediate reaction is sometimes to

back. Defend ourselves.

As those opposed to Gods work began to ridicule and taunt, Nehemiah doesn’t return

for evil. Neither does he stoop to their level. He understood that engaging these enemies on their terms would only

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their remarks.

Instead, He demonstrates confidence in the Lord in two ways:

a. He Turns To the Lord In Prayer

“Listen, our God, for we are despised. Make their insults return on their own heads and let them be taken as plunder to a land of captivity. Do not cover their guilt or let their sin be erased from your sight, because they have angered the builders.” —Nehemiah 4:4-5

When the opposition intensified their efforts, again, he prays

“So we prayed to our God and stationed a guard because of them day and night” —Nehemiah 4:9

b. He Is Reassured By Gods Strong Hand

With the people of God

and discouraged, Nehemiah doesn’t rally them around his own strength, ability or wisdom.

“Wherever you hear the sound of the ram’s horn, rally to us there. Our God will fight for us!” —Nehemiah 4:20

2. Commitment To The Call

The Lord had called Nehemiah and His people to a great task.
There would be challenges, tribulations, hardships – BUT THIS

REMAINED and he was committed to it.

“So we rebuilt the wall until the entire wall was joined together up to half its height, for the people had the will to keep working” —Nehemiah 4:6

3. Focus On The Task

The constant barrage of opposition was difficult to deal with, no doubt.
When threat of attack was imminent…the task of rebuilding didn’t vanish.

“… I stood up and said to the nobles, the officials, and the rest of the people, “Don’t be afraid of them. Remember the great and awe-inspiring Lord, and fight for your countrymen, your sons and daughters, your wives and homes.” —Nehemiah 4:14

This is a call to arms, Saints. Take up your swords….YET….don’t miss this…
Though there was a brief pause…THE

RESUMED.

“…The laborers who carried the loads worked with one hand and held a weapon with the other. Each of the builders had his sword strapped around his waist while he was building, and the one who sounded the ram’s horn was beside me” —Nehemiah 4:17-18

Nehemiah didn’t abandon Gods calling to

down an enemy. He didn’t allow the threats of the opposition to

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them from Gods mission.

Sometimes it’s necessary to pick up the sword and fight BUT if we’re not careful, we can get so consumed with

real or perceived enemies that we neglect the great work of Kingdom

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that we’ve been called to do through the Great Commission.

The

exists so that we can use the

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.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
How does Satan use unbelievers to discourage Christians?

How does Satan use believers to oppose Gods work?

How can we know the difference between constructive critique and ungodly opposition?

How can we distinguish between healthy realism and unhealthy negativism?

How will you respond to today’s message?