CHICO ALLIANCE CHURCH
"A Heart to Work"
REVIEW
We have been following Nehemiah's Journal that records the process followed in rebuilding the walls and restoring the worship in Jerusalem. Following nearly 70 years of discipline, the city of God had been laid waste by the Babylonians. God now begins the promised restoration through an ordinary man who understood the effectiveness of the prayers of a righteous and faithful servant. The journal began with a visit from Nehemiah's brother from Jerusalem. Nehemiah inquired concerning the welfare of the people and the city. Upon hearing that the people were devastated and the gates and walls destroyed, Nehemiah immediately responded. Nehemiah responded with deep concern for the plight of the people. Nehemiah responded with extended intense intercession.
Nehemiah remained faithful while waiting upon God to move.
Nehemiah rallied the people to arise and build.
After a private inspection of the situation, Nehemiah inspired the people to get the walls up.
1st Recognize the seriousness of the situation.
2nd Refocus on the goal.
3rd Realize God's hand
Walls of protection built by hearing and heeding the word.
Life of faith which is developed by hearing the word.
I. REBUILDING WALLS
A. Recognizing needs through inquiry
B. Responding to needs through passion and prayer
C. Resolving needs through prayer and planning
D. Resisting outside opposition through perseverance
1. Scheme # 1 Questioning Authority
a) Problem
As soon as the people are inspired to arise and build, the opposition is stirred to arise and block. Sanballet the Hornite and Tobiah the Ammonite and Geshem the Arab were very upset that the people had been rallied to build.
These guys had a enjoyed a great deal of influence and stood to loose that influence by the rebuilding of the walls.
Their opposition will progress from mild mocking to malicious murder. It seems that whenever we are inspired to strengthen our walls, Satan is stirred to stop us at any price. Perhaps we can find some parallels to the schemes of Sanballet and company and discover some helpful hints in responding to those schemes. Sanballet's first attempt to derail the work detail began with a simple questioning of their position or authority.
NOTE -- None of these men have any official authority over Nehemiah.
Nehemiah is there by order and permission of the ruling king of Persia Artaxerxes as well as more importantly by directive of the king of the universe. Whenever one has no official authority, they must resort to indirect tactics.
Remember, Satan has no official authority over the Christian. We have been transferred out of the kingdom of darkness in to the kingdom of Christ. Greater is He that is in us than He that is in the world. Because of that fact, he seeks to intimidate his way into our affairs.
"What is this thing you are doing?"
"Are you rebelling against the king?"
In essence they are questioning the right of Nehemiah to do what he was doing.
ILLUS
When someone doesn't like you getting in their way or usurping their perceived authority they will general say, "What do you think you are doing?"
They are challenging your authority and compelling theirs. Satan tries the same tactic. The first thing he asks is, "What do you think you are doing?" He comes to question our action and motives. He works at getting us to be intimidated by his authority. He may be prince of the air but we have been given charge over the earth and will rule. God has given us authority to tread upon serpents and scorpions and over all the power of the enemy.
How should we combat such attacks? Observe Nehemiah's response.
b) Principle
(1) Declared his position
"The God of heaven will give us success."
As opposed to the idols and gods of the earth. The all powerful God of the universe is on our side and is operating here. We build by His direction and by his power. Notice his focus and his confidence. Due to extended communication. God is in this. We are operating under His direction. Because of that we will arise and build.
We will carry on the work. Nehemiah is not the only one with this sort of response to opposition.
David to Goliath -- I come in the name of the army of the living God!
We will continue the work -- BUT
(2) Denied the enemies participation
"You have no portion, right, or memorial in Jerusalem"
When the enemy comes at you questioning your authority we are to respond by first declaring our position in Christ and then by denying his participation or interference. That is what it means to resist the devil. When Nehemiah declared his intention to arise and build as servants of God and deny any participation by the enemy that is exactly what they did. Nehemiah summarizes the initial progress of the work and the workers in chapter three.
c) Progress
(1) Size
It is important to get in your mind an idea of the size of this project. The city was shaped in an elongated triangle 2.5 by 2.56 by 1.6. Equivilent distance would be Chico to intersection of chico Way and Newberry Hill Road over to Provost and back to Chico.
(2) Sequence
The description of the work begins with the priests at the Sheep Gate and progresses around the wall back to the work of the goldsmiths and merchants to the Sheep Gate. The description here is the most detailed description of the city we have.
(3) Significance
If we were to have taken then nearly 7 mile walk around the perimeter of the wall during construction, we would have observed some interesting sights. As a whole we would have been impressed by the cooperation and coordination of the project. Much of that was due to leadership of Nehemiah and the heart of the people. There are at least 7 observations to see here along the wall.
1. Unity/Diversity
People worked together. There was a sense of responsibility. Some for the collapse in font of their own homes. They worked on their own areas but still had a sense of the whole.
2. Families
We would have seen families working together; brothers, sons, daughters, all striving for a common goal of rebuilding the wall.
3. Priests
The priests were not afraid to get dirty. They were the trailblazers.
4. Various Occupations
We find many walks of life represented in the workers; goldsmiths to perfume makers, servants, priest, officials in politics.
5. Local Leaders
Local leaders took responsibility for their section of the wall.
6. Enthusiasm
There were varying degrees of enthusiasm. One family in particular was noted for their zeal verse 20.
7. Commercial participation
Even the merchants participated in the project.
A final observation of the whole chapter is Nehemiah's encouragement. He mentions at least 75 people by name in his journal.
None of these groups worked on the same section yet were aware that their part was more than just in front of them. They were aware that their part was vital to the accomplishment of a common goal. The church is the same.
Not everyone is up here. No one can do everything. Yet we must realize that we must do what God puts in front of us and that it is a vital part of the whole. If the whole wall were repaired except Benjamin and Hassubs house, that breach in the wall would have significantly effected the whole.
Nehemiah returns in his journal in describing more opposition from Sanballat and company.
What keeps us going when opposition hits? Why go through all the pain? Why is it that for something we will quit at the drop of a hat and other we will persevere and push on in spite of pain? Let us observe at least a reason why Nehemiah and the people kept going.
2. Scheme #2 Discouragement
a) Problem
The aim of Sanballat and Tobiah is to stop the rebuilding of the wall. The method varies from one encounter to the next. Here they hope to discourage by malicious mocking and ridicule. The interference now intensifies. Picture the scene. Sanballat is sitting in his office hoping that his last little encounter has halted progress on the wall. A message comes in, "they really are building the wall." Sanballat launches into a rage. He rounds up his brothers and a bunch of big shots from Samaria. They rumble on down toe Jerusalem to deliver their verbal blasts against the builders. The Jews are diligently constructing gates and working on walls. As they are building, Sanballat and his mouth militia maneuver into a conspicuous position outside the wall to carry on a conversation with each other intended to be overheard.
Hey Toby,
"What are these feeble Jews doing?"
This is intended to erode confidence in their ability.
"Are they going to restore it for themselves?"
This gets them to question motives. Also focuses on the emensity of the task to be accomplished.
"Can they offer sacrifices?"
This is to cast doubt their relationship to God.
"Can they finish in a day."
Focus on the length of the project and the amount of work to be done.
"Can they revive these stones form the dusty rubble even the burned ones?"
Limestone loses its durability when burned.
Can these Jews give fresh vitality to crumbled stones.
This is to doubt their resources and get them to look back at their failures.
Yeah Sany,
"Even what they have built is so sorry, a fox would flatten it by its weight.
An attempt to erode confidence in their present accomplishments.
Oh how Satan loves to come at us with his mental marauds (attacks). He throws those fiery darts designed to discourage and defeat. He even uses other people with wicked words hurled like sharp spears against our soul to penetrate deeply and wound us. He uses some of the same tactics. Erodes our confidence in our position in Christ and our gifting in Him.
He overwhelms us with the scope of the job to be done.
He casts doubt on our relationship with god.
He confuses us about God's timing and our faithfulness.
He causes us to question the materials and resources.
He gets us to be discouraged about our failures. "Can these stones ever be used again?"
He creates discouragement at any progress we have made.
What do we do? How do we fight this formidable foe?
b) Principle
(1) Pray in the will of God
Nehemiah does not even try to argue with the statements or answer them. He simply prays for God to take care of it.
Hear us, O our God, for we are despised. Turn their insults back on their own heads. Give them over as plunder in a land of captivity. Do not cover up their guilt or blot out their sins from your sight, for they have thrown insults in the face of the builders. Nehemiah 4:5
It never does much good to try to answer back to a mocker or a scoffer. They won't listen because there is sin in their life they must protect.
Warn a divisive person once, and then warn him a second time. After that, have nothing to do with him. You may be sure that such a man is warped and sinful; he is self-condemned. Titus 3:10-11
"Whoever corrects a mocker invites insult; whoever rebukes a wicked man incurs abuse. Do not rebuke a mocker or he will hate you; rebuke a wise man and he will love you. Pro 9:7-8
A wise son heeds his father's instruction, but a mocker does not listen to rebuke. Proverbs 13:1
A mocker resents correction; he will not consult the wise. Proverbs 15:12
It does no good to argue. Prayer is the only recourse here. So Nehemiah simply went to prayer. Nehemiah asked and trusted God to deal with the problem. Jesus practiced the same. When they hurled their insults at him (Jesus), he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly. 1Peter 2:23
Nehemiah trusted God to deal with them even though he had to suffer through at least four more encounters.
Yet Nehemiah did not just pray in the will of God.
(2) Press on in the work of God
"So we built the wall."
Yes keep on praying concerning the opposition but Keep on pressing on toward the objective. The aim of the opposition is to waylay the work. That is all the more reason to press on.
PRINCIPLE
The greater the pressure to pull back in the face of opposition, the greater the need to press on through the opposition.
c) Progress
"The whole wall was joined together to half its height."
What gave them the strength to press on? "For the people had a heart to work." What causes us to have a heart for one thing over another? Simply, it is because we have place a value on that work. Man often determines the value of an object. Mostly a subjective. Value determines response. If there is a fire and you can carry out one thing, you would pick what is most valuable. The problem is that fallen man is not able to discern what is truly valuable. We must go by what God declares to be valuable not what we decide. Is a woman's right to cover her sexual immorality or be unburdened by an unwanted pregnancy more valuable than the life of a little child. Is a career and more spending money more valuable than time serving God. Is a brand new care every two years more valuable than supporting missionaries who take the gospel to those who have not heard.
You see we make value judgments all of the time. Sometimes it is done unconsciously. Why do I decide to help one person and not another? I will either be sensitive to the Holy spirit or I will operate according to a deeply engraved method of valuing based on what it will do for me in the long run.
These people were able to press on through the opposition because they had a heart to work. They had place a high value on the work.
CONCLUSION
There are breaches in the wall. We have a large task before us. The only way to accomplish the task is that each person take their place along the wall. It may be teaching, serving, organizing, praying, calling, visiting, singing, encouraging, counseling, caring for babies, giving, crying, witnessing. It will not come about by hiring another professional to do the work. We must break the 80/20 barrier. Many have lost the heart for the work.
You have allowed Satan to devalue the work. It is impossible to grow in your walk without involvement in ministry to others.
What do you think you are doing?
You are feeble.
You are all alone in this.
You are not worthy to be God's servant.
You have made such a mess that God can no longer use you.
Your work is so insignificant that it will collapse anyway.
It is time we started listening to what God has to say.
1--Decalare our position.
We are deeply loved and significant children of God gifted for ministry.
We can do all things through Christ who strengthens us.
He will never leave us of forsake us.
We stand in all of the righteousness of Christ Himself.
Forgetting what lies behind we can press on to the lofty call of Christlikeness.
When we abide in Him we will bear fruit that remains.
2--Deny Satan's participation
3--Pray in God's will
4--Press on in God's work
Results?
Perhaps we can get the wall built and connected to at least half its height. Perhaps we can enjoy the security of and purity of protective walls for our church and in our individual families. It will come about as we continually opening our life to the life of Christ in us the hope of glory.
