Message Notes Nehemiah Part 5: Facing Opposition Brad Julihn May 15, 2011 I. Super-Heroes and Super-Villains: A. In the Movies: Why is it that Super-heroes always have Super-villains to fight? Batman must overcome The Joker. Spiderman faces the Green Goblin and Dr. Ock. Why are Super-villains a MUST in every Super-hero movie? Because even a Super-hero can t be super unless the opposition he faces is real. In Super-hero movies, criminals who are mortal only provide comic relief. They are left hanging by Spiderman s web with a humorous note. The hero s powers are so great that mere mortals provide no real opposition. They are cannon fodder. They are merely a dramatic vehicle for demonstrating the super-powers, not a genuine test of them. In some ways Super-hero is a misleading term. It implies that what is super about them is their super-powers. But what makes a Superhero truly super, is not their powers. It is their character. It is qualities like courage and endurance. And for that to be seen, you need super opposition. You need Super-villains. The quality of a hero s character is only revealed in how they handle real opposition. B. In the Bible: In the books of Ezra & Nehemiah, opposition is a constant! The work and will of God is seen advancing in the midst opposition. But we may be tempted to view these events like a Superhero movie. Since God is almighty, the opposition of men to his purposes may have a cartoonlike quality. Can Sanballat, Tobiah and Geshem really defeat God s purposes? Are they not mere cannon-fodder to demonstrate His super-power? How are we to view their opposition, and what does it tell us about the opposition we are facing in our day? On the other hand, Ephesians 6 tells us that there is a super-villain in the picture. That our struggle is ultimately not against flesh and blood, but against Satan and the supernatural forces of darkness. But how are we to regard his opposition and schemes? Is he only a toothless tiger or a genuine lion seeking those whom he may devour? Let s read Nehemiah 4! II. The Reality of Opposition: Nehemiah chapter 4 focuses on the opposition faced by Nehemiah and God s people in rebuilding the wall. How are we supposed to view this opposition? Does it pose a real threat to God s plan and purpose to re-establish His people in the land? I believe the context helps us to answer this question. And it does so by presenting two views held in tension. A. Historical Context Emphasizes the Reality of the Opposition On the one hand we have the historical context. God had foretold through Isaiah and Jeremiah 1
the who, the what, and the when of restoration. And those prophecies were fulfilled in the decree by Cyrus to return and rebuild the Temple in 539 BC. But it is now 95 years later and though the Temple had been completed in 516 BC, the wall is still broken down and the gates are still burned with fire. God s people are still living in disgrace. God purpose for His people was clear but they were living in defeat. The opposition is real and has succeeded in delaying God s purposes. Threats, lies and false accusation had intimidated God s people and led to a royal decree stopping construction until Nehemiah s request of Artaxerxes had led to miraculous permission and provision for the rebuilding to continue. The historical context emphasizes the reality of the opposition they faced. B. Literary Context Emphasizes the Certainty of God s Plan But we have also seen a different viewpoint in Nehemiah chapter 3. As we saw last week, Nehemiah 3 is a Flash-forward sandwiched between the ridicule of their enemies in chapter 2 and chapter 4. It describes the walls and gates as though they were already completed before we even get to the construction process. This literary structure is not an accident. The flash-forward effect of chapter 3 makes a mockery of the mockers. Though their enemies mock and ridicule, in God s eyes the job is already done. The literary context emphasizes the certainty of God s plan. C. Holding Both Views in Tension So we see Scripture holding these 2 viewpoints in tension. The opposition faced by God s people is real. They are sometimes defeated and stopped in the purpose God has for them. In a real sense, the outcome is in doubt. Whether they will experience all that God has for them or not is an open question. We see this in Paul s words to the church at Thessalonica regarding His plan to visit them. But, brothers, when we were torn away from you for a short time (in person, not in thought), out of our intense longing we made every effort to see you. 18 For we wanted to come to you certainly I, Paul, did, again and again but Satan stopped us. (1 Thes. 2:17-18) But the other side of this tension is that ultimately God s purposes will prevail. If God s people fail to humble themselves, confessing their sins and putting their trust in God to break through the opposition and acting on that faith; God will use another generation or another leader to bring about His purposes. The LORD foils the plans of the nations; he thwarts the purposes of the peoples. But the plans of the LORD stand firm forever, the purposes of his heart through all generations. (Psalm 33:10-11) In his heart a man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps. (Prov. 16:9) The plans of the Lord do stand firm forever. And we can read the end of the Bible and see that God purposes will prevail. But throughout Scripture we see that a faith choice is constantly required of God s people. And we see God s people at times defeated and discouraged. We see the children of Israel turn back from the Promise Land at Kadesh-Barnea, even after seeing the great miracles and victory of God through the Passover and through the parting of the Red Sea. Remember, the 10 spies who brought the bad report at Kadesh-Barnea were right. There were 2
giants in the land. There were great walled cities. Joshua and Caleb never denied the reality of those obstacles they faced. But their focus was not on the obstacles. It was on God. They said Yes, but God is with us! Hebrews 3:19 tells us they died in the desert and never experienced all that God had for them because of unbelief. They did not trust God to give them victory over their enemies as they obeyed in faith. And so they fell short of God s purposes. God s purposes ultimately prevailed. But He preserved Joshua and Caleb used another generation to accomplish those purposes. And here in Nehemiah, God had decreed the restoration of God s people back in the land through Cyrus. But that decree had only been partially fulfilled. We know what the outcome will be because God has shown us the flash-forward in chapter 3. God knows what will happen. But from the perspective of Nehemiah and God s people building the wall, the outcome is still in doubt. D. Application: Let s not be fooled, the opposition we face is real. Opposition may come from men, but ultimately it comes from Satan and his demons. And God calls his people to engage in a battle that has real consequences. The outcome for us remains in doubt. I mean this in the sense that whether or not we will accomplish and experience all that God wants to do in us and through us is in doubt. Whether we chose to trust God and act upon that faith will determine the outcome. God will give His people victory as they trust in Him and act in faith. But if we do not walk in faith, we can find ourselves on the back side of the Sinai instead of in the land flowing with milk and honey! Question: What is God calling you to step out in faith to do? What is the wall he has called you to build? What is the mission field He has placed on your heart? What are the spiritual gifts He has given you to build up the Body of Christ? What is the step of obedience He is requiring of you today? What sin or weight is He asking you to renounce? What idol is He asking you to stop worshipping or putting your trust in? III. The Form of Opposition: The first half of chapter 4 takes us through the various forms that the opposition took as the building of the wall progressed. The first form that opposition took was ridicule A. Ridicule: vs. 1-6 In verses 1 through 3 we hear about Sanballat and Tobiah s mockery and ridicule of the work God had called the Jews to do. Sanballat asks a series of questions that are intended to emphasize how impossible the job is and how small and futile their efforts are. What does this bunch of poor, feeble Jews think they are doing? Do they think they can build the wall in a day if they offer enough sacrifices? Look at those charred stones they are pulling out of the rubbish and using again! Nehemiah 4:2 Mockery and ridicule is an effective weapon and one that Satan makes frequent use of. Mockery and ridicule is designed to makes something look stupid, futile, and ridiculous. Sexual purity is rarely portrayed as a virtue in our culture. It is portrayed as being uptight and prudish and judgmental. To reserve sex for marriage as an unblemished gift for the person you choose to 3
spend your life with is seen as naive and outdated. Progressive people are portrayed as having sex before marriage. Cool people are those who have an active sex life whether they are married or not. Those who do not have sex regularly are portrayed as losers. The Response: Nehemiah s first response was to pray God s judgment down on Sanballat and his cronies. This is one area where we see a distinct difference between our situation and Nehemiah s. Jesus taught people to pray for their enemies on a human level. And again the Book of Ephesians tells us that even where people are opposing God s purposes, they are not the enemy. It is Satan and the spiritual forces of darkness which blind and influence people that are the real problem. I do not hesitate to pray against the powers of darkness who are influencing people. I do pray God judgment on them as they seek to steal, kill and destroy people s lives. Sometimes their work is more obvious than others. But I pray for God s healing and blessing and protection on people; while I pray against the demonic forces that are frequently at work against them. The second response of Nehemiah and the people was simply to ignore the ridicule. They kept right on working at what God had told them to do and verse six says the wall was rebuilt to half its height because the people worked with all their heart. It seems to me that the power of ridicule is directly related to how much we fear man rather than God. B. Intimidation: vs. 7-9 The second form that opposition took was intimidation. When their enemies realized that ridicule was not stopping the work, they stepped up their opposition to a new level. They began plotting to come and fight against Jerusalem. The use of violence or threats to intimidate us is pretty subtle in our culture compared to many parts of the world. We do not live in Pakistan where proclaiming Christ to a Muslim is illegal and both missionaries and converts may have their names, addresses and photographs published in a newspaper with calls for violence against them and their families. In China, Sudan, Iran, Indonesia and numerous other countries faith in Christ is frequently paid for in blood. But standing for Christ in our culture is far less costly. Perhaps that is to our shame. We are silenced by the mere threat rejection. We more concerned about what people will think of us, than by the fact that people are dying without Christ. About the most serious threat a Christian faces in Canada is that of being fired. I think that because our faith costs us little, we also value it little. If it were more costly to follow Christ, it would quickly change from a Sunday morning ritual, to a tested faith that either has substance because God is in it, or not. Where I do think we as believers experience real intimidation is in the area of spiritual warfare. When Christians begin to recognize that some of the bondage in their lives or their families or their churches or their nation has roots in the powers of darkness and begin to resist them through prayer and confession and the authority of Christ; things frequently get worse initially. The powers of darkness seek to strengthen their grip and to demonstrate that prayer has no effect. Symptoms may initially get worse, or other difficulties may arise as the Adversary seeks to get us to back down. Friends, Satan hates prayer. If things get worse when you pray, that is often a sign that you are making an impact in the spiritual realms, so don t stop. 4
The Response: Nehemiah response to this threat is a beautifully balanced response. They prayed and they posted! They prayed to God and they posted a guard day and night. They put their confidence in God and then they took action in accordance with that trust. That is true faith. True faith always results in action. What we truly believe is always revealed by what we do, not what we say. C. Discouragement: vs. 10-12 The third form of opposition we see here is found in verse 10 through 12. The people were becoming discouraged. This discouragement came from three sources. The first source of discouragement was the workers themselves. They were tired and felt overwhelmed by the immensity of the task. People were saying; The strength of the laborers is giving out, and there is so much rubble that we cannot rebuild the wall. The second source of discouragement was their enemies. They continued to make threats to attack them by surprise. And the third source of discouragement was the people who were supposed to be helping them. The Jews who lived near their enemies seemed to be upset that Nehemiah was upsetting the status quo. They had adopted a strategy of compromise. They kept coming and telling Nehemiah and the people that they were surrounded and would be attacked. Discouragement is deadly. Sometimes we find ourselves feeling overwhelmed by the task God has called us to do. I frequently feel overwhelmed by the task of shepherding a congregation. I am overwhelmed by the task of preaching and teaching God s word with clarity and with power. I am overwhelmed by the brokenness of lives all around me. If you don t feel overwhelmed at times by the task God has called you to, then maybe you have not been listening to what He wants you to do. God usually calls us to things that are beyond our strength so that His power may be revealed. Sometimes we are discouraged by the threat of our enemy and we have spoken about this briefly already. And sometimes the source of discouragement is the people who are supposed to be helping us. Instead of building the wall, they are full of reasons why it can t be done. Instead of carrying the load, they are adding to the burdens of the workers. Instead of advancing God s kingdom, they are criticizing those who are. D. The Common Thread of Opposition: Nehemiah s response at this point is critical to see, for it is not just a response to the discouragement, but also the other forms of opposition. You see ridicule, intimidation, and discouragement all share one thing in common. The intent of all three forms of opposition is to make you feel small. The ridicule of the work and the workers was an attempt make them feel small and that their efforts were futile. The intimidation of their enemies was intended to make them feel small and vulnerable. To get them to quit because they did not have the strength to resist. 5
The discouragement was the result seeing the bigness of the task and the smallness of their strength, seeing the bigness of their vulnerability and the smallness of their defenses. The Response: Nehemiah takes the practical step of posting people at the most vulnerable places on the wall with their weapons to stop any surprise attack. But then he challenges the people to change their focus from their smallness to God s bigness and to act accordingly. 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 brothers, your sons and your daughters, your wives and your homes. Nehemiah 4:14 From Nehemiah s perspective, the crucial factor here is not the size of the wall, or the size of the enemy, or the size of their problems. The crucial factor is the size of their God! As they put their focus on Him and their trust in Him, He will empower them in this mighty and dangerous task that is bigger than all of them. IV. Conclusion: In a Super-hero movie, Even a Super-hero can t be super unless the opposition he faces is real. And it s not their super-powers that make them super, but the character qualities they possess. The true character qualities of the super-hero are not revealed by their easy defeat of human opponents. They are revealed or not by how they overcome real difficulties and genuine opposition. As a believer in Jesus Christ, we may not be a super-heroes, but the opposition we face on both the human level and the spiritual level is real. And just as it was true Nehemiah s day, so it is in ours: Opposition Is a Constant. God will ultimately accomplish His purposes, but if He is going to do it in our generation and in our church; it will be because we are constantly putting our trust in Him and acting in accordance with that faith to overcome opposition. And it s not our super abilities, or our super insight, or our super programs that make us super or effective in God s kingdom. It is the quality of our faith in Him. God works in direct proportion to our faith. Jesus said, Be it done to you according to your faith. But the quality of our faith is only seen when it is tested by severe difficulties and genuine opposition. And so God allows opposition in many forms in our lives and work. Not to harm us, but so that the quality of our faith in Him may be revealed. Peter put it this way. In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. 7 These have come so that your faith of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. (1 Peter 1:6-8) 6