Facing Opposition (Nehemiah 4:1-23)
Mark Pitman, June 9, 2019Part of the Nehemiah series, preached at a Sunday Morning service
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Nehemiah 4 (Listen)
4:1 Now when Sanballat heard that we were building the wall, he was angry and greatly enraged, and he jeered at the Jews. 2 And he said in the presence of his brothers and of the army of Samaria, “What are these feeble Jews doing? Will they restore it for themselves? Will they sacrifice? Will they finish up in a day? Will they revive the stones out of the heaps of rubbish, and burned ones at that?” 3 Tobiah the Ammonite was beside him, and he said, “Yes, what they are building—if a fox goes up on it he will break down their stone wall!” 4 Hear, O our God, for we are despised. Turn back their taunt on their own heads and give them up to be plundered in a land where they are captives. 5 Do not cover their guilt, and let not their sin be blotted out from your sight, for they have provoked you to anger in the presence of the builders.
6 So we built the wall. And all the wall was joined together to half its height, for the people had a mind to work.
7 But when Sanballat and Tobiah and the Arabs and the Ammonites and the Ashdodites heard that the repairing of the walls of Jerusalem was going forward and that the breaches were beginning to be closed, they were very angry. 8 And they all plotted together to come and fight against Jerusalem and to cause confusion in it. 9 And we prayed to our God and set a guard as a protection against them day and night.
10 In Judah it was said, “The strength of those who bear the burdens is failing. There is too much rubble. By ourselves we will not be able to rebuild the wall.” 11 And our enemies said, “They will not know or see till we come among them and kill them and stop the work.” 12 At that time the Jews who lived near them came from all directions and said to us ten times, “You must return to us.” 13 So in the lowest parts of the space behind the wall, in open places, I stationed the people by their clans, with their swords, their spears, and their bows. 14 And I looked and arose and said to the nobles and to the officials and to the rest of the people, “Do not be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your brothers, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your homes.”
15 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. 19 And I said to the nobles and to the officials and to the rest of the people, “The work is great and widely spread, and we are separated on the wall, far from one another. 20 In the place where you hear the sound of the trumpet, rally to us there. Our God will fight for us.”
21 So we labored at the work, and half of them held the spears from the break of dawn until the stars came out. 22 I also said to the people at that time, “Let every man and his servant pass the night within Jerusalem, that they may be a guard for us by night and may labor by day.” 23 So neither I nor my brothers nor my servants nor the men of the guard who followed me, none of us took off our clothes; each kept his weapon at his right hand.
(ESV)
Date | Series | Sermon | Scripture | Special Events |
5-Jan | Inclement Weather Day – No Services | |||
12-Jan | Living Life Together | Why Are We Here, Where Are We Going, and How Do You Fit In? | Ephesians 3:14-21 | |
19-Jan | Living Life Together | Living Together As the People of God | Exodus 1:1-2:10, 23-25 | Sanctity of Human Life; Baby Dedication |
26-Jan | Inclement Weather Day – No Services | |||
2-Feb | Living Life Together | Living Life Together Through a Growing Knowledge of Our God | Exodus 3:1-15; 4:1-17 | |
9-Feb | Living Life Together | Living Life Together by Selecting the Right God | Exodus 5:1-6:13 | |
16-Feb | Living Life Together | Living Life Together in the Joy of Our Redemption | Exodus 11:1-12:41 | Valentine’s Day |
23-Feb | Living Life Together | Living Life Together by Trusting Our Mighty Deliverer | Exodus 14 | |
2-Mar | Inclement Weather Day – No Services | |||
9-Mar | Living Life Together | Living Life Together by Rejoicing in a Shepherd Who Provides | Exodus 16 | Daylight Savings Time Begins; Gideon Speaker |
16-Mar | Living Life Together | Living Life Together by Joyful Obedience to Our Covenant | Exodus 19 | |
23-Mar | Guest Speaker | Chris Gendron | ||
30-Mar | Living Life Together | Living Life Together in Celebration of the Mercy of God | Exodus 32 | 5th Sunday; BCC 101 |
6-Apr | Friend Request | Joining the Celebration | Philippians 2:1-18 | Camp Selah |
13-Apr | Friend Request | The End of Blah, Blah, Blah | John 12:1-19 | Palm Sunday |
20-Apr | Friend Request | When You Give and Receive Nothing in Return | Matthew 26:42-56 | Easter |
27-Apr | Friend Request | Who’s Got Your Back? | 1 Samuel 18:1-16, 19:1-7, 20:1-42 | |
4-May | Friend Request | Strength in Numbers: Praying for One Another | Colossians 4:2-4 | |
11-May | Friend Request | Hospitality for Busy Lives | Romans 12:1-13 | Mother’s Day |
18-May | Friend Request | When You Need a Friend – Because Two is Better Than One | 1 Peter 1:-2:3, 3:13-18, 4:1-10, 12-19 | Congregational Business Meeting |
25-May | Guest Speaker | Scott Towers | Memorial Weekend | |
1-Jun | Friend of God | An Outrageous Possibility | James 2:14-26 | Honor Graduates |
8-Jun | Friend of God | God Dwelling With Us | 1 Corinthians 6:1-20 | Communion |
15-Jun | Friend of God | God Ruling Us – Coming to Grips with Jesus as Our Benevolent King | Romans 10:9-13 | Father’s Day; Baby Dedication |
22-Jun | Friend of God | God Loving Us | Romans 8:31-39 | |
29-Jun | Friend of God | God With Us | Isaiah 7:1-16 | 5th Sunday |
6-Jul | Friend of God | God Interceding For Us | Romans 8:12-27 | Independence Day |
13-Jul | Friend of God | God Our Father | Romans 8:12-17 | |
20-Jul | Friend of God | God Preparing For Us | Revelation 21:1-22:5 | Communion |
27-Jul | Living Life Together | Living Life Together Because Our Family Had a Great Beginning | Acts 11:1-11, 2:1-16 | |
3-Aug | Living Life Together | The Message That Draws Us Together | Acts 4:1-36 | VBS Day |
10-Aug | Living Life Together | Handling Our Finances with Generosity and Integrity | Acts 5:1-16 | |
17-Aug | Living Life Together | Proclaiming the Name | Acts 5:12-42 | |
24-Aug | Living Life Together | Solving Problems Quickly | Acts 6:1-7 | Baptism and Family Night |
31-Aug | Living Life Together | Facing Pressure Courageously | Acts 6:7-15, 51-60 | 5th Sunday |
7-Sep | Living Life Together | When Times Are Hard | Acts 8:1-40 | |
14-Sep | Living Life Together | Amazed by God’s Grace | Acts 9:1-31 | |
21-Sep | Living Life Together | Celebrating Everyone’s Place On The Team | Acts 9:32-42 | Communion; SYATP |
28-Sep | Living Life Together | Praying With Hearts of Faith | Acts 12:1-25 | |
5-Oct | Living Life Together | Properly Fulfilling the Mission | Acts 13:1-16, 38-52 | Hayride—Fall Party |
12-Oct | Living Life Together | Discerning God’s Will As A Family | Acts 15:1-35 | |
19-Oct | Living Life Together | Experiencing the Power of God | Acts 15:36-16:34 | BCC 101 |
26-Oct | Guest Speaker | Scott Towers | ||
2-Nov | Living Life Together | Making a Difference That Can’t Be Ignored | Acts 17:1-15 | Daylight Savings Time Ends |
9-Nov | Stewardship | LLT by Taking the Next Step in Your Financial Earning | Col 3:22-25 | |
16-Nov | Stewardship | The Next Step in Spending | Luke 12:13-33 | Thanksgiving Dinner |
23-Nov | Stewardship | The Next Step in Giving | 2 Cor 8:1-15; 9:14 | Communion |
30-Nov | That Crazy Family of Yours | Tis the Season for OCD | Philippians 3:1-16 | 5th Sunday |
7-Dec | That Crazy Family of Yours | Too Much Sugar, Too Many Presents | Deuteronomy 6:1-9 | |
14-Dec | That Crazy Family of Yours | Fixing Your Focus | Matthew 2:1-12 | Children’s program |
21-Dec | That Crazy Family of Yours | Loving Your Outlaws | Genesis 2:18-25 | |
24-Dec, Wednesday | That Crazy Family of Yours | Christmas Has Always Been Crazy | Luke 2:1-20 | Christmas Eve |
28- Dec | That Crazy Family of Yours | The Biggest Bill Has Been Paid | Colossians 2:1-15 |