by Sibusiso Khoza 1 P a g e

Transcription

1 1 P a g e by Sibusiso Khoza

2 N ehemiah was rebuilding the wall. The enemy of our souls is enemy of all that is good. Walls were the first of three parts in the restoration process. The walls - security The houses / dwellings - dignity The temple - purpose (to worship / bring pleasure to GOD) 2 P a g e

3 KNOW THE TACTIC, KNOW THE TARGET - KNOW HOW TO INTERCEPT IT You don't need a tanker do disperse a crowd of students WHAT WERE THE TACTICS / SCHEMES TO BE BROUGHT DOWN? TACTIC ONE: UNEASY ARABS. DISAPPROVING FACES. TARGET ONE: To make one doubt their mandate. Nehemiah 2:10 When Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite official heard about this, they were very much disturbed that someone had come to promote the welfare of the Israelites. As a leader, you work with people's spoken and Unspoken DISAPPROVALS, they may even be SILENT but they are never QUIET. LESSON: TEACH YOUR PEOPLE HOW TO RESPOND POSITIVELY TO THE VERY WORDS BEING OFFERED 3 P a g e

4 The LORD doesn't like non-responsive audiences! Nonresponsiveness is as bad as Luke 7:32 They are like children sitting in the marketplace and calling to one another, saying: We played the flute for you, And you did not dance; We mourned to you, And you did not weep. COULD IT BE THAT THE FACES OF DISAPPROVAL WERE THE REASON STEPHEN NEVER FINISHED HIS SERMON? Stephen actually never came to the point of preaching the Gospel that day: He seems to have gotten overwhelmed by the silent yet loud disapproval in the room that day. READ IT AGAIN FOR YOURSELF! ACTS 7:1-50 What an audience! What an opportunity to preach CHRIST! They've already observed that while the false witnesses are spewing false accusations Steven's face is glowing like that of an angel. There's no worry, there's no fear on his face! Just light, a glow of Love! Stephen gave the historical background, which they knew well. His intro is VERY WARM... Brothers and Fathers... He never got to proclaim the GOSPEL 4 P a g e

5 PAUL SAYS: Colossians 4:3-4 And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains. Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should. SO IT IS POSSIBLE TO HAVE A MESSAGE AND AN AUDIENCE BUT FAIL TO DELIVER BECAUSE OF THE ATTITUDE THAT PREVAILS IN THE ROOM SO; WHAT IS THE CORRESPONDING WEAPON? COURAGE: To lead when they don't approve. To go against the grain. To start when there's not enough resources (transport). Nehemiah 2:12c There were no mounts with me except the one I was riding on. 5 P a g e

6 LISTEN TO GOD'S WEAPON OVER THIS: Jeremiah 1:8 Be not afraid of them [their faces], for I am with you to deliver you, says the Lord. TACTIC TWO: RIDICULE TARGET: Destroy confidence. It is Subjective, Contentious, Dismissive (showing that something is unworthy of consideration). That's mentally breaking the importance of a project in the eyes of those who care. NB. RIDICULE IS PSYCHOLOGICAL WARFARE. Nehemiah 2:19 But when Sanballat the Horonite, Tobiah the Ammonite official and Geshem the Arab heard about it, they mocked and ridiculed us. What is this you are doing? they asked. Are you rebelling against the king? Nehemiah 4:1-3 When Sanballat heard that we were rebuilding the wall, he became angry and was greatly incensed. He ridiculed the Jews, and in the presence of his associates and the army of Samaria, 6 P a g e

7 he said, What are those feeble Jews doing? Will they restore their wall? Will they offer sacrifices? Will they finish in a day? Can they bring the stones back to life from those heaps of rubble burned as they are? Tobiah the Ammonite, who was at his side, said, What they are building even a fox climbing up on it would break down their wall of stones! WEAPON TWO. Anti-missile. Nehemiah 4:4-5 Hear us, 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. THIS PRAYER DEALS WITH THE MOST POWERFUL WEAPON OF MASS DESTRUCTION FROM THE ENEMY (tongue lash) Job 5:21 NIV You will be protected from the lash of the tongue, and need not fear when destruction comes. 7 P a g e

8 Job 5:21 AMP You shall be hidden from the scourge (WHIP) of the tongue, neither shall you be afraid of destruction when it comes. NEHEMIAH was aware of the EVIL POWER released through EVIL WORDS / insults. WORDS RELEASE SPIRITS GOOD or BAD!!! IN THE PRESENCE OF THE ARMY OF SAMARIA FEEBLY JEWS. LET THE WEAK SAY....I AM STRONG TACTIC THREE: THREATS TARGET: Distract from work / project Nehemiah 4:7-15 But when Sanballat, Tobiah, the Arabs, the Ammonites and the people of Ashdod heard that the repairs to Jerusalem s walls had gone ahead and that the gaps were being closed, they were very angry. They all plotted together to come and fight against Jerusalem and stir up trouble against it. But we prayed to our God and posted a guard day and night to meet this threat. 8 P a g e

9 Meanwhile, the people in Judah said, The strength of the laborers is giving out, and there is so much rubble that we cannot rebuild the wall. Also our enemies said, Before they know it or see us, we will be right there among them and will kill them and put an end to the work. Then the Jews who lived near them came and told us ten times over, Wherever you turn, they will attack us. Therefore I stationed some of the people behind the lowest points of the wall at the exposed places, posting them by families, with their swords, spears and bows. After I looked things over, I stood up and said to the nobles, the officials and the rest of the people, Don t be afraid of them. REMEMBER THE LORD, who is great and awesome, and fight for your families, your sons and your daughters, your wives and your homes. When our enemies heard that we were aware of their plot and that God had frustrated it, we all returned to the wall, each to our own work. WEAPON THREE 3.1. VIGILANCE: Day and night prayers. Luke 18: NB. MOBILIZE FOR FORCEFUL PRAYERS. 9 P a g e

10 THE PRAYER POWER (e.g. JAMES 5:16) 3.2. RECOUNT TESTIMONIES TO BOOST COURAGE TO FIGHT. TACTIC FOUR: DISTRACTIVE MEETINGS TARGET: Waste both time and leader. Nehemiah 6:1-4 When word came to Sanballat, Tobiah, Geshem the Arab and the rest of our enemies that I had rebuilt the wall and not a gap was left in it though up to that time I had not set the doors in the gates Sanballat and Geshem sent me this message: Come, let us meet together in one of the villages on the plain of Ono. But they were scheming to harm me; so I sent messengers to them with this reply: I am carrying on a great project and cannot go down. Why should the work stop while I leave it and go down to you? Four times they sent me the same message, and each time I gave them the same answer. BE CAREFUL OF PEOPLE / LEADERS WHO ALWAYS WANT MEETINGS! (THERE'S A PLACE ON YOUR WAY TO P.E. VIA FORT BEAUFORT ITS CALLED COMMITTEES DRIFT! ) 10 P a g e

11 TACTIC FIVE: RUMORS TARGET: Tarnish reputation / instill fear. Nehemiah 6:5-7 Then, the fifth time, Sanballat sent his aide to me with the same message, and in his hand was an unsealed letter in which was written: It is reported among the nations and Geshem says it is true that you and the Jews are plotting to revolt, and therefore you are building the wall. Moreover, according to these reports you are about to become their king and have even appointed prophets to make this proclamation about you in Jerusalem: There is a king in Judah! Now this report will get back to the king; so come, let us meet together. Those who for the fear of their reputation, will never do anything significant! As long as your character is straight and motives right Reputation can and will change! REPUTATION IS WHAT OTHERS THINK OF YOU... AND THEY ARE 'ENTITLED' TO THEIR WRONG OPINIONS... TACTIC SIX: FALSE PROPHECIES / PHONY SPIRITUALITY / CHARISMATIC WITCHCRAFT 11 P a g e

12 TARGET: To confuse the spiritually immature NEHEMIAH WAS TARGETED BY A GROUP OF FALSE PROPHETS Nehemiah 6:10-15 One day I went to the house of Shemaiah son of Delaiah, the son of Mehetabel, who was shut in at his home. He said, Let us meet in the house of God, inside the temple, and let us close the temple doors, because men are coming to kill you by night they are coming to kill you. But I said, Should a man like me run away? Or should someone like me go into the temple to save his life? I will not go! I realized that God had not sent him, but that he had prophesied against me because Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him. He had been hired to intimidate me so that I would commit a sin by doing this, and then they would give me a bad name to discredit me. Remember Tobiah and Sanballat, my God, because of what they have done; remember also the prophet Noadiah and how she and the rest of the prophets have been trying to intimidate me. So the wall was completed on the twenty-fifth of Elul, in fifty-two days. WEAPON: RESISTANCE. 12 P a g e

13 1 Peter 5:9 Withstand him; be firm in faith [against his onset rooted, established, strong, immovable, and determined], knowing that the same (identical) sufferings are appointed to your brotherhood (the whole body of Christians) throughout the world. Philippians 1:28 And do not [for a moment] be frightened or intimidated in anything by your opponents and adversaries, for such [constancy and fearlessness] will be a clear sign (proof and seal) to them of [their impending] destruction, but [a sure token and evidence] of your deliverance and salvation, and that from God. TACTIC SEVEN: ASHDOD(IZE) TARGET: Deplit vocabulary of praise and thanksgiving and limit its power Nehemiah 13:23-25 Moreover, in those days I saw men of Judah who had married women from Ashdod, Ammon and Moab. Half of their children spoke the language of Ashdod or the language of one of the 13 P a g e

14 other peoples, and did not know how to speak the language of Judah. I rebuked them and called curses down on them. I beat some of the men and pulled out their hair. I made them take an oath in God s name and said: You are not to give your daughters in marriage to their sons, nor are you to take their daughters in marriage for your sons or for yourselves. WEAPON SEVEN: ENRICH THE PRAISE VOCABULARY 14 P a g e