When the Opposition Won't Quit

Well, good morning, church.

Our sermon text today is Nehemiah chapter 6.

Nehemiah 6 · chapter mention

That's page 373 in the Pew Bible.

Go ahead and turn there with me.

We'll be looking at that passage together today.

Nehemiah chapter 6, page 373.

Nehemiah 6 · chapter mention

Let me just mention before we get started that there's water in the back, or at least

there was water in the back.

If you need a drink, there's a water fountain out in the foyer.

Downstairs also is an overflow space.

The secret is it's a little cooler down there.

So if it's just getting a little hot, feel free to go downstairs.

You can still follow along with the video and the audio downstairs.

It's a little cooler.

Well, let me pray for us as we come to God's word, and then I'll read the text for us.

Let's pray.

Oh, Father, we've just sung that you would be our vision.

You would be the heart of our hearts.

You would be the target towards which we aim.

You would be the goal, the end of all that we do.

God, thank you that you give yourself to us, that you reveal yourself to us, that you allow

yourself to be known and to be loved.

And so you draw us up out of our sin and our selfishness and our concern with mere passing

things to find our hope and our delight and our home in you, the eternal God.

Lord, would you please bless the reading and the preaching of your word this morning so

that you would be our vision above all.

We ask this in Jesus' name.

Amen.

So, Nehemiah chapter 6.

Nehemiah 6 · chapter mention

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 and the gates, Sanballat and Geshem sent to me saying, come, let us

meet together at Hakafarim in the plain of Ono.

But they intended to do me harm.

And I sent messengers to them saying, I'm 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.

In the same way, Sanballat for the fifth time sent his servant to me with an open letter

in his hand and 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.

Now, when I went into the house of Shemaiah, the son of Deliah, 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're coming to kill you.

They're 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 Sanballat and Tobiah, O my God, according to these things that they did, and also the

prophetess Noah-Diah and the rest of the prophets who wanted to make me afraid.

So the wall was finished on the 25th day of the month of Elul in 52 days.

And when all our enemies heard of it, all the nations around us were afraid and felt greatly

in their own esteem, for they perceived that this work had been accomplished with the help

of our God.

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 Shekaniah,

the son of Ere, and his son Jehohanan had taken the daughter of Meshulam, the son of Barakai,

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.

Well, sometimes the opposition just won't quit.

Remember, the year is 445 BC.

Nehemiah has arrived in Jerusalem from Susa, the capital of the Persian Empire, to rebuild

the city walls of Jerusalem and to restore the honor of the city and of the people.

And as chapter 6 opens, you see there that the work is actually almost done.

You see that in verse 1.

Everything is finished except for the setting up of the doors and the gates.

But just as Nehemiah is about to cross the finish line, the enemies of the project just

won't quit.

You remember back in chapter 4 that they came against the people as a whole with taunts and

threats.

But here, it gets personal.

Now, they're after Nehemiah himself.

And it gets deceptive.

The conspiracies start coming from every angle, don't they?

It's political in verses 1 through 9.

It's religious in verses 10 through 14.

It's social in verses 17 through 19.

And in each scheme against Nehemiah, the overarching aim is to make him afraid.

In verse 9, they want to frighten me.

Verses 10 and 14, that I should be afraid.

Verse 19, Tobiah sent letters to make me afraid.

Because if they could frighten Nehemiah, then he would stop the work on the wall and maybe

even do something sinful or shameful out of fear, which would then give his enemies ammunition

to ridicule him and taunt him and ruin his reputation in the eyes of the people.

Fear, you see, is one of our spiritual enemy's greatest weapons.

In Nehemiah's day and in our own, the world would love to make us afraid and get us to

give up our allegiance to Christ and go against his word.

Take a look at verses 10 through 14.

There, it was physical fears, right?

They're coming to kill you, Nehemiah.

Now, many Christians around the world today do face physical intimidation.

In verses 1 through 9, it's professional fears.

You better come meet with us, Nehemiah, or we're going to tell the king of Persia that

you're planning a rebellion.

Now, there's no faster way to lose your job as a governor in the Persian Empire, which is

what Nehemiah was, than to be charged with treason.

But we can face professional fears today, can't we?

Will my allegiance to Christ put my work, my job, my profession in jeopardy?

Will I be overlooked for that promotion?

Will I lose out on that big client?

Will I be

Nehemiah's enemies, Tobiah, has apparently married into the noble upper classes of Judah.

And so, from that position of sort of social leverage, he can pull all sorts of strings

and call in all sorts of favors and make Nehemiah's life pretty miserable.

I think social fears may be the most prevalent for us here in our setting.

What will my neighbors, my friends, my family think of me if they know I've become a Christian?

Will I always be on the outside, always ridiculed, always excluded, always lonely?

How about you this morning, friend?

What ongoing fears are you experiencing from the world where God has placed you?

And Nehemiah, throughout this chapter, through the ongoing conspiracies and plots,

amazingly, he doesn't give up and he doesn't give in.

In fact, in the face of all that, he shows incredible wisdom, incredible courage, and

incredible endurance.

How about us?

How can we have that same sort of wisdom and courage and endurance today?

Well, I think there are two things that we see in this passage that can help us keep going

in the face of fear.

First, a God-centered perspective.

And second, a God-centered prayer life.

A God-centered perspective and a life of God-centered prayer.

So let's take a look at what a God-centered perspective looks like.

On the one hand, we need to maintain a God-centered perspective of our work.

Look at the end of verse 3, when Samballot, the governor of neighboring Samaria, tries

to draw Nehemiah away from Jerusalem under the pretense of a meeting.

It seems that meetings were used in all sorts of ways in the ancient world, just as they

are today.

Come on, we're going to have another meeting.

Oh, my, my.

Nehemiah, what does he say?

He says, I'm doing a great work and I cannot come down.

Now, that's a very shrewd answer, isn't it?

He doesn't just tell Samballot to get lost.

No, he maintains his professional dignity and says, actually, I have more pressing work

to do right now.

But it's not just a shrewd answer, it's also a true answer.

It is a great work that he's involved in.

But maybe not in the world's eyes.

After all, in the world's eyes, at this point in history, Nehemiah is just stacking rocks

around an insignificant town in a province that's literally called Beyond the River.

It doesn't sound more backwater than that, does it?

Where do you live?

Beyond the River.

Have fun with that.

But in God's perspective, it is a great work.

It's advancing the kingdom of God.

It's restoring the people of God.

It's honoring the name of God.

Now, you may not think that your everyday work, your calling, is much in the world's eyes.

But friend, any lawful work done as unto God with a heart to honor Him is a great work.

Maybe you're a stay-at-home parent.

Maybe you're an investment banker.

Maybe you're a construction manager.

Maybe you're an admin assistant.

Maybe you're a craftsman, a plumber, an electrician.

Maybe you're an Uber driver.

If you're a follower of Christ, if you are engaged in your work for the sake of Christ

with an eye towards His glory, it is a great work.

And this is especially true when it comes to our calling as a member of Christ's church.

Yes, in the world's eyes, what we're doing here right now seems fairly insignificant.

Singing a few songs.

Reading a few passages from an old religious text.

Saying a few encouraging words.

And so, if things get a little uncomfortable out in the world, if some social pressure heats up,

if some fears crop up at work or in your neighborhood or in your dorm room,

you know, it can feel like no big deal to just stop coming to church for a while.

But in God's perspective, the church is no mere social club.

It's the very body of Christ on earth.

It's the very dwelling place of His Holy Spirit.

The church gathered around and proclaiming the message of the Bible in word and in prayer

and in preaching and in sacrament.

The church engaged in that, friends, is the very voice of God to the world.

You are doing a great work.

Don't let the world frighten you into thinking otherwise.

But Nehemiah also has a God-centered perspective, not just of his work, but of himself.

In verses 10 through 14, we see that a certain priest named Shemaiah

has actually been hired by Sanballat and Tobiah to give a false prophecy to Nehemiah.

And we actually see in verse 14 at the end of that paragraph that there were others doing the same thing.

Apparently, there was a prophetess, Noah-diah, and some other prophets

who were apparently taking bribes from Nehemiah's enemies

and then lying to him to make him afraid and to do something shameful.

Shemaiah tells Nehemiah to go hide in the temple with him,

to go inside, to shut the doors because they're coming to kill you.

But in verse 11, Nehemiah says,

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.

Now, we see in Nehemiah's response that on the one hand,

a God-centered perspective of our own selves gives us great boldness.

Who am I to run away, Nehemiah says.

Now, Nehemiah is the governor of Judah.

The king of Persia himself gave him that job.

Nehemiah has soldiers and servants at his disposal.

But is that all that gives Nehemiah his boldness?

No.

You see, Nehemiah isn't just known and called by the king of Persia.

He's known by the king of the universe, the creator, the Lord.

That's where Nehemiah's boldness comes from.

But on the other hand, this God-centered perspective of his own self

brings not just boldness but also a deep humility.

How can such a man as I go into the temple and live?

You see, God's law permitted only the priests to enter into the temple itself.

Everyone could worship in the courts,

but only a certain particular group in Israel,

the priestly class, could go into the temple.

Nehemiah, you see, was humble before God.

In other words, his rightful awe and fear of God

was what helped him overcome the fear of human beings.

But how can you and I have that same kind of boldness and humility?

We are no Nehemiah, right?

There have been about a hundred books written about the book of Nehemiah

about godly leadership,

and most of them you read and you think,

oh man, that's a tough act to follow.

But friends, consider what we know

in light of the gospel,

in the light of Christ.

What is the message of the Bible

that the creator of the universe,

the Lord,

the one before whom every knee will bow

as we sung at the beginning of our service,

sent his only son,

his only son,

to come die for you,

to rescue you from sin,

to make you his son,

his daughter,

to make you his heir?

Is there any greater source

of confidence and boldness than that?

You have been chosen

not by some mere earthly king,

but by the king of kings.

He's looked upon you

and said,

I'm choosing you

and sending my son for you.

And yet,

what humility at the same time.

Because your sins were so great

and your failures so deep

that the son of God had to die for you.

You see,

the necessity of the cross

for our sins ought to give us

a proper humility.

But the willingness of God

to take up the cross for you,

it should fill us

with an unshakable boldness.

Brothers and sisters,

do you know that kind of humble boldness,

that sort of bold humility,

that right,

humble confidence before God

that can make you withstand

any fears from the world?

It's there.

It's for you

in the cross of Christ.

Stop trusting in yourself

and put your trust in him.

Find in him

the forgiveness of your sins

and the love

of your heavenly father

and the indwelling,

powerful presence

of the Holy Spirit.

It's there for you

to take hold of.

It's not just for Nehemiah's,

it's for all of us.

So then a God-centered perspective

of our work

and of ourselves

will help us to endure

through the fears

that the world throws at us.

But if we stopped there,

we'd be missing something critical.

How does what we know

in our heads,

this God-centered perspective,

get down into our hearts?

How does the truth

of our relationship with God

become a lived experience

that actually changes our lives?

Become a lived reality

that actually allows us

to carry on,

to be wise,

to be courageous

in the midst of a world

that wants us to live in fear?

And that brings us

to the second main thing

that we see in this passage.

We need to maintain

a God-centered perspective,

but we also need to enjoy

the ongoing intimacy

of God-centered prayer.

Woven throughout this passage

are Nehemiah's prayers.

In verse 9,

Nehemiah prays for strength,

and in verse 14,

he prays for justice.

Notice in that prayer

for strength in verse 9

how it just seamlessly flows

in the narrative.

This happens a lot

in the book of Nehemiah.

It's as if to say

that prayer is something

that's meant to be woven

into every corner

of our lives.

I mean,

think about the situation

for Nehemiah here.

Nehemiah is at the office,

and he's just

gotten word

of an open letter.

That's like an email

that's been CC'd

to the whole company.

And this sort of

open letter

contains a not-so-very-veiled

threat

that if he doesn't

come meet with

Samballot,

the sort of,

you know,

director of operations

over a few

companies over,

if he doesn't come

meet with Samballot,

he's going to be accused

of treason

to the king of Persia.

And as Nehemiah

is dictating his response,

a prayer goes up

from his heart,

Oh God,

strengthen

my hands.

Friends,

do you see

the intimacy

that God wants you

to have with him

at any moment

to speak with him,

and he will hear?

Nehemiah knows

that in himself

he's weak,

so he calls

out to God

for strength.

Give us this day

our daily bread.

Lead us not

into temptation,

but deliver us

from evil.

Oh God,

strengthen my hands.

You know,

we often think

of prayer

as a work

that we have

to perform,

as a sort of

religious duty

that we have

to engage in,

but Nehemiah

actually shows us

that prayer

is really

the breath

of the heart,

giving simple

expression

to our needs

before the God

who made us

and loves us

and who promises

to hear us

and to fight

for us.

So if you are weary

and if you are weak

and if you are afraid,

look to God.

Pray for strength.

He will hear

and he will answer you.

Nehemiah also

prays in verse 14

for justice.

This God-centered

life of prayer

involves a prayer

for justice.

Now at first,

this prayer in verse 14

can sound a little

vindictive,

but actually,

what Nehemiah

is doing here

in this prayer

is actually

acknowledging

that God

is the only

just judge.

Rather than

seeking vengeance

against his enemies,

Nehemiah

lets God

be God.

Matthew Henry

writes on this verse,

he says,

whatever injuries

are done to us,

we must not

avenge ourselves,

but commit

our cause

to God

who judges

righteously.

You know,

rather than thinking

that Nehemiah

can fix his own problems

and put his enemies

in their place,

he prays for God's

justice whenever

and however

God chooses.

You see,

just like Nehemiah

knows that he's weak

and so he must

pray for strength,

so Nehemiah knows

that he's also

not righteous,

he's not

a perfect judge,

so he turns

his enemies

over

to God

who is.

Do you wonder

how Nehemiah

is able to put up

with the ongoing

stress and schemes

of his opponents

who just

won't quit?

How is he able

under all that pressure

to answer

with such clarity

and shrewdness?

How is he able

to deal

with the nobles

of Judah,

for example,

in verse 19,

who come to him

and just praise

how wonderful

Tobiah is,

Tobiah,

such a great guy

and then turn around

and betray

Nehemiah's confidence

right back

to his enemy?

How is it

that Nehemiah

doesn't just

lose his cool?

And how can you

and I live

in the midst

of a world

that does

the exact same thing?

People disappoint us,

they betray us,

they gossip about us,

they intimidate us,

they forget about us,

they threaten us,

and yet,

in prayer,

we can lay

all of that

out before a God

who is perfect

in judgment.

We don't need

to sort it all out.

We don't need

to be the judge.

We don't need

to be defensive

or bitter

or entitled.

We can pray,

God,

let your kingdom come

and let your will

be done.

Forgive me

my trespasses

as I forgive

those who

trespass against

me.

If you are

under pressure,

if you feel

like you're

under attack,

pray for God's

justice.

Entrust it

into his hands,

he will hear

your prayer,

and then

you'll have

the clarity

and the peace

and the perspective

to act in a way

that honors him,

that is shrewd,

that is courageous,

that is persevering.

So when the world

wants to make us

afraid,

afraid to keep

going,

afraid to hold

fast to our

allegiance to Christ

and his kingdom,

Nehemiah 6 reminds us

to fill our minds

with a God-centered

perspective

and to express

our hearts

in ongoing,

intimate,

God-centered prayer.

And then,

what's the outcome?

Well,

in verse 15,

the wall's finished.

They actually do it,

and they do it

in 52 days.

Friends,

it's going to take

longer than 52 days

to build the thing

we're planning to build

over there.

I guarantee you that,

and this was a big

project Nehemiah

was engaged in.

Talk about an answer

to prayer,

52 days.

And because

Nehemiah,

doesn't give in

to the fear

of the world,

the world,

ironically,

in verse 16,

begins to fear God.

And again,

we see the

missional thrust

of this book

and of the entire

Old Testament

and of the entire

Bible,

that God is out

to capture the hearts

of all nations,

and he's using

his people to do it.

Their very opponents

became fears of God

in just a little bit

more of a true way

because of this work.

But surprisingly,

that's not the end

of the book of Nehemiah.

You would think,

right?

They build the wall,

boom,

book over,

bring on the New Testament,

right?

No.

Moreover,

in those days,

all this other stuff

started happening.

The city wall

is finished,

but the opposition

keeps coming

in verses 17 through 19,

and there's still

more work to be done.

In chapter 7,

Nehemiah then begins

the work of protecting

the city

in verses 1 through 4,

and then repopulating

the city beginning

in verse 5.

There's more to be done,

and there's more

opposition to withstand.

So the story of Nehemiah

is not done.

It pushes ahead.

And you know,

even by the end

of this book,

it's not over.

The temple's finished,

the city's rebuilt,

the people are gathered,

but the king,

the long-awaited king,

is still not here.

You know,

Nehemiah's enemies

accuse him

of making himself

a king,

and that's all lies,

of course,

but the truth is,

Nehemiah and the rest

of the returned exiles

know that there is

a real king

still on the way.

And you know, friends,

our story isn't done either.

Even when we stand strong,

even when we complete

great works

for God's kingdom,

the opposition's

going to keep coming,

and there's still

going to be work to do,

but we know

that the king,

the king that Nehemiah

was waiting for,

the king that Isaiah

spoke about,

and Zechariah

and Haggai,

the king that they

were all talking about,

the king has come,

and we know that this king

is going to come again.

The world may try

to make us afraid,

but with our eyes

fixed on our once

and coming King Jesus,

the church will endure.

Friends, you will endure.

The church's one foundation

is Jesus Christ, her Lord.

She is a new creation

by water and the word.

From heaven,

he came and sought her

to be his holy bride.

With his own blood,

he bought her,

and for her life,

he died.

Mid toil and tribulation

and tumult of her war,

she waits the consummation

of peace forevermore,

till with the vision glorious

our longing eyes are blessed,

and the great church victorious

shall be the church at rest.

Let's pray.

Father, in this moment,

we take just a moment

to be still before you

and to open up our hearts

before you

in this quiet

to let our souls come out

as it were

and to lay our fears

before you.

Oh, Lord Jesus,

you are great.

Lord, you have loved us.

You have died for us.

You have risen again.

I pray for all of us

gathered here

that we

would stand firm

and have all the wisdom

and courage we need

going out this week

into your world

as ambassadors

of your kingdom,

knowing that you've given us

a great work.

Even so,

come, Lord Jesus.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Would you stand and sing with us?

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

People are having you

along with us giving us

all these here

shown us.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.