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Nehemiah 6
We invite you to join us for worship each Sunday morning at 9:30. You can also download our service at Baptist-Christian at iTunes. It would be easy to feel sorry for Pastor Nehemiah. He had followed God’s instructions, God was blessing the work, the walls were almost finished, people had been loyal to God, and the king doing what they had been given permission to do. In all this Sanballat and his henchmen were still making a concerted effort to stop the work. As Christians we need to remember that under God’s sovereign guidance, His work cannot be stopped! It’s that Prov. 21:30 thing at work in real life. Rumors are (1) seldom good, and (2) the people who start them seldom have good intentions. We can’t control the fact that rumors exist, but we can control how we respond to them.
- THE ENEMY’S STRATEGY TO DESTROY NEHEMIAH! Satan loves for us to forget we are at war with his forces of evil. That very truth is the reason Peter tells us to be alert (1 Peter 5:8), and Paul tells us to put on the armor (Eph. 6:10ff). Sanballat’s actions help us see how Satan uses ungodly people to destroy us. 1- the attack was persistent (vss. 2, 4, 5) Job 1:7; and 1 Peter 5:8 are just two verses that teach us Satan is always on the prowl looking to harm us. Nehemiah’s enemies would not let up in their efforts to stop the work of God! The attack was also 2- a perversion of the truth (vss. 6, 7). A perversion is a lie, and there is no better liar than Satan. Read Gen. 3:4; Matt. 4:6; 2 Cor. 2:11; 11:14. Rumors are most often designed to hurt whoever is the target. That is exactly opposite the Scriptural teaching to Christians. We are to build one another up in the fear of God, never tear people down. Notice also that the attack was 3- perilous (vss. 2, 7, 10). Sanballat tried to lure Nehemiah away from the safety of numbers to a solitary place where Nehemiah would be alone against the enemy. That is exactly how predators work. We are taught that we are a body to strengthen one another. When we are alone Satan loves it because we are no match for him, however, when we are united as one body, we are invincible! Now consider
- NEHEMIAH’S STRATEGY TO DEFEND THE NATION! Once we learn to live the truth that we are at war every day, all day, with Satan’s forces of darkness, putting on the armor of God is as natural as breathing. Nehemiah shows us how to let God work in us privately so He can work through us publically. 1st is Nehemiah’s commitment (v. 3, 11). God always knows how committed to Him we are, but when we suddenly find ourselves, as James says, in various trials, we, and those around us, find out how strong and sincere our commitment is. One can’t be committed to God’s work, if they are not first committed to God! Notice 2nd – Nehemiah’s communion with God (v. 9). Aren’t you surprised to learn Nehemiah was a man of prayer!! He let God speak to Him every day through quiet time with God. He was a man of prayer as his entire book reveals. Finally, 3rd= Nehemiah was determined to complete his mission. When God gives us a burden, He also gives us a plan to complete it. Nehemiah wasn’t going to let rumors keep him from doing what God had called him to do. How about you?
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