Nehemiah

Part 4: Overcoming Opposition

Opposition Will Come

•Living wholly for Jesus will bring about opposition from others.

•Most of us don’t like opposition.

•How do we faithfully handle opposition?

We Can’t Avoid Opposition

• Some will oppose us by mocking us.• Nehemiah 4:2 – [Sanballat] spoke in the

presence of his brothers and the wealthy men of Samaria and said, “What are these feeble Jews doing? Are they going to restore it for themselves? Can they finish in a day? Can they revive the stones from the dusty rubble even the burned ones?

Nehemiah 4:3

• “Now Tobiah the Ammonite was near him and he said, ‘Even what they are building – if a fox should jump on it, he would break their stone wall down!’”

Some Will Use Violence• Nehemiah 4:11-12 – “Our

enemies said, ‘They will not know or see until we come among them, kill them and put a stop to the work.’ When the Jews who lived near them came and told us ten times, ‘They will come up against us from every place where you may turn….’”

Jesus said we will be opposed

• Mark 10:29-30 – Jesus said, “Truly I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters…for My sake and for the gospel’s sake, but that he will receive a hundred times as much now in the present age…along with persecutions….”

Matthew 10:34-36

• “Do not think that I came to bring peace on the earth; I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I came to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; and a man’s enemies will be the members of his household.”

Some Will Mock Us

• Matthew 27:28-31 – “They stripped Him and put a scarlet robe on Him. And after twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on His head, and a reed in His right hand; and they knelt down before Him and mocked Him….

Some Will Use Violence

• 2 Corinthians 11:23-25 – “Are they servants of Christ…I more so; in far more labors, in

far more imprisonments, beaten times without number, often in

danger of death. Five times I received from the Jews thirty-nine lashes.

Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned….”

Overcoming Opposition

• By determination• Nehemiah 4:6 – “So

we built the wall and the whole wall was joined together to half its height, for the people had a mind to work.”

With Determined Defenses

• Nehemiah 4:13 -- “…then I stationed men in the lowest parts of the space behind the wall, the exposed places, and I stationed the people in families with their swords, spears and bows.”

Remaining Alert

• Nehemiah 4:16-18, 21-23 • Half worked, half defended• Worked with one hand

while carrying a weapon with the other.

• Wore swords where ever they went.

• Slept in their armor.

By Faith And Prayer

• Imprecation• Nehemiah 4:4-5 – “Hear, O

our God, how we are despised! Return their reproach on their own heads and give them up for plunder in a land of captivity. Do not forgive their iniquity…

With Faith In God

• V. 14 – “Do not be afraid of them; remember the Lord who is great and awesome….”

• V. 20 – “At whatever place you hear the sound of the trumpet, rally to us there. Our God will fight for us.”

Pray For Courage

• Acts 4:24-31• Why did the Gentiles rage?• We have enemies!• Lord, not their threats and

give us confidence• “…they were filled with the

Holy Spirit and began to speak the word of God with boldness.”

God Promises Victory

• 1 John 4:4 – “You are from God, little children, and have overcome them; because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world.”

Romans 8:31

• “What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us?