Pressing on Nehemiah 6:1-19
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Pressing On Nehemiah 6:1-19 INTRODUCTION The famous Olympic athlete Jim Thorpe was no stranger to adversity. Growing up in the early 1900's as a Native American, Jim experienced the horrors of racism and prejudice. Not only that, he had to deal with the reality of death at an early age. His twin brother died when they were only 9 years old. And before he reached adulthood, both of his parents also died, leaving Jim an orphan. But God blessed Thorpe in one particular way—his athletic ability. He was one of the first players to ever play professional baseball and football. He was one of those rare athletes that excelled at whatever sport he tried. And among all of his accomplishments, perhaps his greatest was his two Gold medals in the 1912 summer Olympic games in Stockholm Sweden. Shortly before he was to start in the pentathlon, someone stole his shoes. Instead of giving up, Jim went to the trash and found two shoes … of two styles. One was an athletic shoe and another was a loafer. Each shoe was a different size. He compensated by adding an extra sock. He was determined to run the race that he had been asked to run. His perseverance and resolve to finish the race is what enabled him to run it. Jim was determined to run the race set before him with no excuses. You and I, have a race set before us. In fact, more than once the Bible uses this kind of imagery to describe the Christian life. The Apostle Paul, when nearing the end of his life said this: [7] I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith (2 Tim 4:7). His life was focused on the one event which truly mattered - the mission that God had set out for him. Or consider what Paul said to the church at Galatia: [7] You were running well. Who hindered you from obeying the truth? (Galatians 5:7). You see they had believed the truth of the gospel, they were applying that belief to their behavior - but someone had hindered them. An obstacle had been thrown on the track. If the Christian life is akin to running a race, the obstacles are endless. We get begin to run well after righteousness, and yet find ourselves sidetracked by a besetting sin. We begin to run well seeking to know the truth of God, and yet find ourselves floundering to read the Bible. We begin run well living out the gospel in our lives, and yet find ourselves sidetracked by the schemes of the enemy. And all this happens because - as we’ve seen the last few weeks - every time we do something good for God we will encounter opposition. Every time we live for the glory of god, we will encounter opposition. Where we find ourselves this morning in the book of Nehemiah is a third look at the kind of opposition Nehemiah faced when running the race God had set before him. He had faced opposition by ridicule and the threat of violence. He faced opposition by way of internal opposition - greed and oppression by his own people. But Nehemiah overcame all of this through faith, courage, and practical wisdom. So just when you think every hurdle has been accomplished, there is another effort to see the mission of God in his life and the life of the people stopped. This time, it’s a much more personal and subtle attack. It’s a plot to distract Nehemiah from the important work God has set before him. It’s the work of the enemy, it’s spiritual warfare. But Nehemiah has the kind of determination that grabs two shoes out of trash can, laces up, and runs the race. And there’s something we can learn from him about what it means to press on in perseverance. READ NEHEMIAH 6:1-19… TRANS: How do we press on? How do we endure in the Christian life? How do we persevere when faced with attacks from the enemy? First, we must… 1. Exercise Discernment (vv1-4) You’ll notice in our passage this morning that there are a few different tactics used to stop Nehemiah. But common to them all of them is an attempt to make him afraid. In verse 9, the verb frighten is used and is repeated again in verse 13, 14, and 19. And so the enemies approach is to intimidate and frighten Nehemiah. It’s the same approach he uses with us. But Nehemiah demonstrates that his fear of God far outweighs his fear of man. Now here’s why I say that we must exercise discernment - because the first tactic we see is deception. Nehemiah and the people are at a crucial time in the building project. Everything is done on the wall except for the gate. There’s still work to be done, but they're almost at the end. The window of opportunity for someone to stop them is growing smaller. So Nehemiah tells us this in verse 1 and 2: [1] 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 in the gates), [2] Sanballat and Geshem sent to me, saying, “Come and let us meet together at Hakkephirim in the plain of Ono.” But they intended to do me harm. They’ve given up with the threats and taunts, and now try to lure Nehemiah by political intrigue. It’s a plot to kidnap him. They send a letter asking him to meet with them in a the plain of Ono. That would have been about 20 miles north of Jerusalem, and given it’s proximity to Samaria it could be a hostile place. And so it would take at least one full day to travel there. Another full day to convene over politics, and another day to travel. And you can just imagine what would have happened had Nehemiah been away from his work for half a week. Perhaps they tried to present it as an innocent invitation. A truce of some sort. A political meeting to put differences behind and move forward. Or perhaps they thought they could appeal to the sense of pride that exists in all of humanity. “Hey Nehemiah, you're a big shot. You deserve to have a retreat from the work with all the other big shots. How about an all expense paid business trip?” Satan is a master deceiver. The enemy wants nothing more than for us to give in to subtle appeals. He tries to convince us that we have no real enemies. He tries to entice us to sin by luring us to places we shouldn’t be. He does everything possible - especially when we’re making progress - to lure us into a vulnerable spot so he can destroy us. Nehemiah, however, doesn’t give in. In fact, in verse 1 he recognizes that these people are his enemies. Why doesn’t he fall prey to their trap? Because he’s discerning. And how did he become a man of discernment? He first became a man of prayer and study. He knew very well the promises of God. And as we’ve seen every week, he prays at all times. He’s prayed before taking action and in the midst of action. I picture Nehemiah getting this letter and going before the Lord in prayer. There’s a valuable lesson in all this. If we give ourselves to the study of the Word, and if we saturate our lives in prayer - then we will be made sensitive to the guidance and warnings of God. In those crucial moments, we will know what to do. And so when they try to get Nehemiah to go to Ono, he essentially says, “Oh no. I’m not going.” Look at verse 3: [3] And I sent messengers to them, saying, “I am doing a great work and I cannot come down. Why should the work stop while I leave it and come down to you?” I love how Nehemiah responds: “I am doing a great work.” And that statement becomes even more striking when you compare his work in Jerusalem to the work he was doing as cup bearer to the king. Back in Persia, Nehemiah was in the palace. He was oversaw everything that came into contact with the King. He was a high level official who was trusted. And now, he’s on the outskirts of the empire in the midst of rubble. He’s working on a construction site. But this - to Nehemiah this is the important work. It's a great work. Most people thought the great work would have been in the palace. Most people would have thought Nehemiah was demoted. But not in the kingdom of God. Here he was - laboring for God and laboring for the people of God. The walls were going to protect the people of God. The rebuilt city was going to allow the people of God to fulfill their calling. In the city of Jerusalem, the very name of God was at stake. That’s what made it a great work. And did you know, that in the lives of God’s redeemed people - His name is at stake? Listen: God has called each and every one of us to live for His glory by trusting Him, walking with Him in purity, thanking Him for what He gives us, and by making disciples.