Sermon Central
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Nehemiah Chapter 4 Series
Contributed by Brady Boyd on Sep 15, 2022 (message contributor)
Summary: It’s clear that we’ll have opposition to anything we try to do for God.
Nehemiah Chapter 4
September 18, 2022
Nehemiah 4:15-18 NIV
When our enemies heard that it was known to us and that God had frustrated their plan, we all returned to the wall, each to his work. 16 From that day on, half of my servants worked on construction, and half held the spears, shields, bows, and coats of mail. And the leaders stood behind the whole house of Judah, 17 who were building on the wall. Those who carried burdens were loaded in such a way that each labored on the work with one hand and held his weapon with the other. 18 And each of the builders had his sword strapped at his side while he built. The man who sounded the trumpet was beside me.
1. Our work will be opposed by an enemy.
It’s clear that we’ll have opposition to anything we try to do for God.
2. Our weapons are different.
For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. 4 For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. 5 We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ, 6 being ready to punish every disobedience, when your obedience is complete.
Our worship is our weapon.
Revelation 4:6b-8 NIV
In the center, around the throne, were four living creatures, and they were covered with eyes, in front and in back. 7 The first living creature was like a lion, the second was like an ox, the third had a face like a man, the fourth was like a flying eagle. 8 Each of the four living creatures had six wings and was covered with eyes all around, even under its wings. Day and night they never stop saying: “‘Holy, holy, holyis the Lord God Almighty,’ who was, and is, and is to come.”
We worship because we’re certain we’re in the presence of God.
Failure to worship leaves us at the mercy of the world’s whims and fears. Without worship we live manipulated lives.
Worship steadies us, gives us purpose and direction.
V.8 – “Day and Night, they never stop …”
Every second of our lives is covered in His presence.
Our prayers are our weapons.
Revelation 8:1-5 NIV
When he opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour.2 And I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and seven trumpets were given to them.3 Another angel, who had a golden censer, came and stood at the altar. He was given much incense to offer, with the prayers of all God’s people, on the golden altar in front of the throne. 4 The smoke of the incense, together with the prayers of God’s people, went up before God from the angel’s hand. 5 Then the angel took the censer, filled it with fire from the altar, and hurled it on the earth; and there came peals of thunder, rumblings, flashes of lightning and an earthquake.
These Christians had no right to vote, no weapons to defend themselves, yet they did not panic and run. Why? They knew how to pray!
The distinctive feature of Christian prayer is the certainty of being heard.
v.4-5 - The smoke of the incense, together with the prayers of God’s people, went up before God from the angel’s hand. 5 Then the angel took the censer, filled it with fire from the altar, and hurled it on the earth; and there came peals of thunder, rumblings, flashes of lightning and an earthquake.
The prayers which had ascended into heaven returned to the earth with great force! Heaven launches a prayer bomb!
Our love is our weapon.
We put no obstacle in anyone's way, so that no fault may be found with our ministry, 4 but as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: by great endurance, in afflictions, hardships, calamities, 5 beatings, imprisonments, riots, labors, sleepless nights, hunger; 6 by purity, knowledge, patience, kindness, the Holy Spirit, genuine love; 7 by truthful speech, and the power of God; with the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and for the left; 8 through honor and dishonor, through slander and praise. We are treated as impostors, and yet are true; 9 as unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and behold, we live; as punished, and yet not killed; 10 as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, yet possessing everything.
We have more weapons than Nehemiah because we have Jesus.
Both hands are full of very effective weapons.
