Nehemiah 4:10-23
"Fighting The Enemy of Discouragement"

Gospelcom Bible Gateway

Many a good work has been looked upon with contempt by proud and haughty scorners. Those who disagree in almost every thing, will unite in persecution. Nehemiah did not answer these fools according to their folly, but looked up to God by prayer. God's people have often been a despised people, but he hears all the slights that are put upon them, and it is their comfort that he does so. Nehemiah had reason to think that the hearts of those sinners were desperately hardened, else he would not have prayed that their sins might never be blotted out. Good work goes on well, when people have a mind to it. The reproaches of enemies should quicken us to our duty, not drive us from it. (Ne 4:7-15)

Nehemiah 4:1-9

^"11And our adversaries said, "They will neither know nor see anything, till we come into their midst and kill them and cause the work to cease." ¹²So it was, when the Jews who dwelt near them came, that they told us ten times, "From whatever place you turn, they will be upon us."     ¹³Therefore I positioned men behind the lower parts of the wall, at the openings; and I set the people according to their families, with their swords, their spears, and their bows. ¹⁴And I looked, and arose and said to the nobles, to the leaders, and to the rest of the people, "Do not be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, great and awesome, and fight for your brethren, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your houses." ¹⁵And it happened, when our enemies heard that it was known to us, and that God had brought their plot to nothing, that all of us returned to the wall, everyone to his work. ¹⁶So it was, from that time on, that half of my servants worked at construction, while the other half held the spears, the shields, the bows, and wore armor; and the leaders were behind all the house of Judah. ¹⁷Those who built on the wall, and those who carried burdens, loaded themselves so that with one hand they worked at construction, and with the other held a weapon. ¹⁸Every one of the builders had his sword girded at his side as he built. And the one who sounded the trumpet was beside me. ¹⁹Then I said to the nobles, the rulers, and the rest of the people, "The work is great and extensive, and we are separated far from one another on the wall. ²⁰Wherever you hear the sound of the trumpet, rally to us there. Our God will fight for us." ²¹So we labored in the work, and half of the men^[a] held the spears from daybreak until the stars appeared. ²²At the same time I also said to the people, "Let each man and his servant stay at night in Jerusalem, that they may be our guard by night and a working party by day." ²³So neither I, my brethren, my servants, nor the men of the guard who followed me took off our clothes, except that everyone took them off for washing."

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INTRODUCTION:

A. Nehemiah has prayed, has a plan, builds momentum, shares his vision, rallies the people around the plan until Chapter 4

B. The angry bull attacks the vegetarian. There are problems from outside the camp and discouragement within the camp

I. The Predicament

A. People were discouraged within the camp of Judah

B. Remember that the people had a mind to work and now they were discouraged.

C.What happened?

D. Life is like this too.

E. Are you spiritually depressed? What can you do about it?

F. Why were they spiritually discouraged?

1. Taunts of the Unbelievers - What can you do about it?

a. Compare Verse 2 with Verse 10.

b. Notice that the people took on the lies of the enemy

c. This is what happens when you listen to the lies over and over again (10x)

2. The Task that they are called to do (10)

a. Notice where the focus is and what the focus was that was lost.

b. "Hope deferred makes the heart sick"

c. Do you have unrealistic expectation that God didn't fulfill? Did He ever really say that He would fulfill them?

G. Every church and every person needs to have a "Dung Gate" where rubbish needs to be taken out since you can't build a church with rubbish but with stones.

H. Organizations overtime loose site of the organism of the church. But if you overstructure and over organize may quench the Holy Spirit. Just because you have always done it a certain way doesn't mean that it is right. Sometimes it needs to be taken out to the Dung Gate and disposed of.

I. If it is in the Bible then we need to do it.

II. The Plan

A. They secured the breaches in the wall. (soldiers and families that lived in the area secured the wall)

Principle - There are areas of ministry that you live closer to that are closer to home for you that you are more passionate about then others

B. They encouraged the people

1. Faith and Fear are both contagious

a. Deut 20

b. Gideon fighting the Midianites

2. What did Nehemiah do?

a. Don't be afraid

1. Remember the Lord. Don't look at the rubbish but look at the redeemer.

2. Joshua 5

b. Align yourself with the Lord and his purposes

c. Fight for your brethren, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your houses.

III. The program (15)

A. Notice that they returned to the work they were working on in the midst of the enemies and all the discouragement.

B. We need to be both a soldier and a shepherd

C. We need to watch out for each other, gather together instructed in the Word and go forth into the world. We are separated during the week and need to come together frequently and not avoid the assembly of ourselves together.

D. The Lord will fight for you.

APPLICATION:

1. Look at your life

2. Identify those areas that need to be worked on (filling the breach)

3. Gather together with other beleivers

4. Read Scripture.

5. Focus on God and do not be afraid

MEMORY VERSE: Nehemiah 4:14

¹⁴And I looked, and arose and said to the nobles, to the leaders, and to the rest of the people, "Do not be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, great and awesome, and fight for your brethren, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your houses."