Why Should Our Work Cease?
NEHEMIAH: How God Uses the Ordinary to Revitalize the Kingdom! • Sermon • Submitted • Presented • 42:22
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Welcome
Welcome
Good Morning! I’m Pastor Wayne and I’d like to welcome you all to the gathering of Ephesus Baptist Church.
Why did you choose to gather today? We believe we are a called people! Called to worship and exalt our God among the nations in order that His glory may be spread over all the earth!
If you are visiting with us this morning, we want you to know that ...
We are all one family of faith: “giving our all to love God, love people, proclaim Jesus, and make disciples in our generation.”
We have a connect card in the pew in front of you. I invite you to take one and fill it out! If you have prayer needs, you can let us know about those as well.
I promise, our prayer team will lift you up soon. You can place those cards in the offering plate when it comes around.
Who’s Your One?
Scripture Memory
Scripture Memory
33 Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies.
Opening Scripture Reading
Opening Scripture Reading
11 In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will,
12 so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory.
13 In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit,
14 who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.
15 For this reason, because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints,
16 I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers,
17 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him,
18 having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints,
19 and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might
20 that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places,
21 far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come.
22 And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church,
23 which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.
Introduction
Introduction
I invite you this morning to open your Bibles to the sixth chapter of the book of Nehemiah.
1 Now when Sanballat and Tobiah and Geshem the Arab and the rest of our enemies heard that I had built the wall and that there was no breach left in it (although up to that time I had not set up the doors in the gates),
2 Sanballat and Geshem sent to me, saying, “Come and let us meet together at Hakkephirim in the plain of Ono.” But they intended to do me harm.
3 And I sent messengers to them, saying, “I am doing a great work and I cannot come down. Why should the work stop while I leave it and come down to you?”
4 And they sent to me four times in this way, and I answered them in the same manner.
Prayer for Illumination
It has been a long journey for Nehemiah—from Persia, where he first heard the report of Jerusalem’s devastated walls, where he left the comforts and security of his life as the king’s cupbearer, to come and be the revitalizing Governor of Jerusalem.
Much has changed since he made that solitary midnight ride to review the ruins. The wall is almost complete and Nehemiah has the finish line in sight. Only the doors and gates remain to be installed.
Now let me say that the idea of rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem did not originate in the mind of Nehemiah, but from the heart of God.
Nehemiah was simply thinking God’s thoughts after Him. This was not Nehemiah’s revitalization plan; it was God’s plan to restore His people.
And therefore, Nehemiah could say with Paul,
31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?
With firm conviction, Nehemiah faithfully proclaimed,
20 Then I replied to them, “The God of heaven will make us prosper, and we his servants will arise and build, but you have no portion or right or claim in Jerusalem.”
But every time the people of God said, “Let us ‘arise and build’ ” the satanic forces said, “Let us arise and destroy.”
When the people of God have a mind to work, the enemies of God have a mind to wreck.
Like Nehemiah, many of us are seeking to rebuild something in our lives that has been broken.
As we work to rebuild, to restore, to revitalize, Satan is going to attack us every step of the way.
Today, we are experiencing an attack of the adversary as we’ve never known before. It is apparent that the very foundation and fundamentals of our faith are being challenged at every turn.
It seems as if the church can make progress for a season, but if we aren’t careful we often suffer setbacks to the enemy.
We cannot live off of yesterday’s blessings. It is good to enjoy what the Lord has done through us in the past, but we must be vigilant and continue in our labor for Him today!
Today, I would like to consider the three biblical truths revealed from the work that Nehemiah and the Jews did in Jerusalem. As we do, may we think on Nehemiah’s question: Why should the work cease?
There is too much at stake to be distracted from our work. It is imperative that we stand strong and finish well the work the Lord has assigned to us.
We must be constantly reminded that God provides His people all we need to accomplish the work He gives us to do.
1. Christian, you are most vulnerable when you think your work is almost complete.
1. Christian, you are most vulnerable when you think your work is almost complete.
1 Now when Sanballat and Tobiah and Geshem the Arab and the rest of our enemies heard that I had built the wall and that there was no breach left in it (although up to that time I had not set up the doors in the gates),
The wall is almost complete! There are no breaches left in it for the enemies to invade through. The only thing left are for the gates and doors to be installed.
While there wall is a physical presence, much has transpired that cannot be seen with our physical eyes, as God has been transforming hearts and minds.
For a people who have been in bondage for nearly a century, can you imagine the joy that simply building a wall brought to the people’s hearts? They were finally getting to restore their homeland. This was a work of hope.
We cannot place a value on what the Lord has done within the hearts and lives of His people. God has brought His people a long way, but much remains to be done.
But be warned: this is the most dangerous point in any rebuilding process. This is when the enemy comes along with one final attempt to divert us from our goal.
He would like to find a weakness to exploit. He would love to come in and tear down the gains Nehemiah has made!
The same is true for us! God has blessed us over the past year in many different ways, but make no mistake. I’m certain that the adversary has his eye on us. He would love to come in and tear down the gains we’ve made as we have trusted Christ to guide us! If God reveals an area that needs our attention, we must respond quickly and biblically.
So here is Sanballat, Tobiah, and Geshem again.
Their goal all along had been to stop Jerusalem from becoming a fortified city once more, and already the walls were complete apart from the hanging of the doors in the great gates.
This was no easy task. It would require special scaffolding and lifting equipment to be set in place, and the doors themselves would have to be custom made.
The three stooges had only a little time left to frustrate the work, and it is revealing to watch how they used it. Overthrowing Nehemiah personally had to be their goal, for nothing less could stop the finishing of this project. But how could this be accomplished?
They hoped to catch Nehemiah riding a wave of overconfidence and pride. Sometimes when you are nearing the finish line, you lose sight of how closely your competition is to overtaking you. If Nehemiah gets to confident, he could falter.
Video of young runner losing a race to overconfidence.
Christian, you are most vulnerable when you think your work is almost complete.
2. Christian, do not be distracted from your work by the snare of lethal compromise.
2. Christian, do not be distracted from your work by the snare of lethal compromise.
2 Sanballat and Geshem sent to me, saying, “Come and let us meet together at Hakkephirim in the plain of Ono.” But they intended to do me harm.
The very men who had opposed Nehemiah every step of the way, even threatening to kill him, now want to meet with Nehemiah. The timing of this is very suspicious, isn’t?
As Dr. Boice points out, the gesture looked like a concession speech by losers in a political campaign.
He commented in his book, Nehemiah: Learning to Lead,
“Nehemiah, it is no use pretending that we have not been opposed to your project. We have been … But you have succeeded in spite of us, and now there is no use to carry on our opposition. For better or worse, we are going to have to live together, you as governor of Jerusalem and ourselves as governors of our own provinces. So let’s be friends.”
Let’s get together. Let’s negotiate. Let’s have a dialogue. Let’s meet on the plains of Ono. They were saying, in effect, “Listen, Nehemiah, we may not have seen eye-to-eye recently, but let’s let bygones be bygones. We don’t need to be angry with each other. Come on, let’s be friends.”
Nehemiah’s success was flattering, and the invitation to work out a way of living together sounded advantageous and alluring. Yet it was simply well designed trickery and deception with two primary goals.
a. Distract and Delay
a. Distract and Delay
This seemed like a good opportunity, but it was a distraction. A more foolish leader bloated with his own self-importance might have thought to himself that this was an important opportunity to take time out from construction for diplomacy.
That is what Sanballat was hoping for. He desired to lead Nehemiah away from the work he was engaged in. Sanballat knew the determination of Nehemiah to finish the wall, but he hoped to delay his work.
b. Deceive and Destroy
b. Deceive and Destroy
Because it was located about halfway between Jerusalem and Samaria, the plain of Ono seemed like a great location for such a meeting.
Sanballat was saying, in effect, “Let’s compromise. You come halfway, we’ll come halfway, and we’ll meet in the middle.”
Compromise is sometimes necessary to resolve conflicts, to negotiate business deals, and to make agreements between nations.
In a good compromise, each side gives a little and gains a little so that all sides can come to agreement. Such compromises can be extremely helpful in maintaining peace and harmony.
However, we must not compromise biblical truth, biblical morality, and biblical ethics to make a deal. When we compromise our truth and values, we are compromising with Satan.
Compromise has ruined more churches than anything else. It has rendered harm to more pastors and Christians than any other weapon in Satan’s arsenal.
Adrian Rogers was fond of telling a story about a hunter and a bear. It goes like this...
“He saw a bear in the woods, drew a bead on the bear, and the bear stuck up both paws, and said, “Oh, hold it. Don’t pull that trigger. Now be reasonable about that thing. I want to talk with you about this thing.” Now the bear said to the hunter, “It seems to me that the reason you’re trying to shoot me is you want a fur coat. Is that right?” And the hunter said, “Well, that is right. I want a bear coat, a bear-skin coat.” And the bear said, “You know, everybody’s got his needs. I’ve been out here in the woods. I’m just looking for a good meal. I have needs. You have needs. Lay that gun down, and come out here in the middle of road, and let’s talk about it.” So the hunter laid the gun down. And they went out in the middle of the road to talk about it. And when it was over, the man had a fur coat, and the bear had a good meal.”
That is exactly what the devil is trying to do right here. He is trying to deceive Nehemiah into compromising the greatness of his work for a what appeared to be a good thing.
Compromise would have led to the destruction of the wall around Jerusalem if Nehemiah had not been a wise and godly leader.
But Nehemiah wisely said, “Oh, no!” to Ono.
Nehemiah knew who these people were, and he was not deceived about their intentions.
14 And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.
Did you notice that back in verse 1, Nehemiah called them his “enemies”?
Nehemiah knew what was at stake, the intentions of these enemies, and that they were not pursuing the kingdom of God like he was. He did not give them the benefit of the doubt.
He knew they intended to do him harm. They wanted to destroy Nehemiah, to remove him from the equation. Yes they intended to murder Nehemiah.
In the New Testament, Paul’s letters to Timothy and Titus, which we call the Pastorals because their theme is the pastoral leader’s role, concentrate not on skills to learn but on the qualities of zeal, faithfulness, goodness, steadiness, and wisdom that the leader must maintain and model.
This is because Paul is so conscious of Satan’s lethal snare (1 Tim. 3:7; 2 Tim. 2:26) set for those who serve. Nehemiah’s story, as we have seen, abundantly illustrates Paul’s point.
Christian, are you realistic about your enemies and their intentions? Do you know that Satan is your enemy? Or are you distracted?
Sometimes churches get distracted. Do you know what the job of Ephesus Baptist Church is? It’s not building buildings. It’s not raising money. It’s not to have the best fellowship meals. It is the Great Commission—to win this world to Jesus Christ, to preach the gospel to this generation.
Christian, do not be distracted from your work by the snare of lethal compromise.
3. Christian, strive to exercise spiritual discernment and determination as you seek to finish your great work.
3. Christian, strive to exercise spiritual discernment and determination as you seek to finish your great work.
Christian, find out what God wants you to do, and refuse, refuse, refuse to be distracted by the devil. You need to say, as the Apostle Paul said, “This one thing I do” (Philippians 3:13).
Know what it is that God wants you to do, and do it—do it. Ephesus, realize the great work God has for us to do and do it!
3 And I sent messengers to them, saying, “I am doing a great work and I cannot come down. Why should the work stop while I leave it and come down to you?”
4 And they sent to me four times in this way, and I answered them in the same manner.
Do you remember the Wile E. Coyote and Road Runner cartoons. The Coyote was continually devising lethal snares for the Road Runner, usually involving a complex device he ordered from the Acme Corporation.
The Coyote is persistent. He tries again and again to trap the Road Runner, but the Road Runner always being resistant, escapes with his “Beep-beep!”
Sanballat, Tobiah, and Geshem remind me of the Coyote—and I can just hear Nehemiah saying to them, “Beep-beep!” Four times Nehemiah says to them, “I will not come down. I will not give in. I will not capitulate. I will not compromise.”
What gave Nehemiah the strength to stand?
Nehemiah was a man of faith who discerned the importance of the great work God had called him to accomplish and he determined in his heart not to fail.
Now the work Nehemiah was doing in Jerusalem was not great because the world thought it was significant. The world would have called what he was doing back in Persia “great work.”
The world would have told him that he left the great work for something that didn’t matter at all. Who cared if the walls of Jerusalem got rebuilt? What difference did it make?
It made all the difference in the world. Restoring God’s people so that they could bring God great glory was a great work. Those walls were going to revitalize God’s people. That’s what made what Nehemiah was doing in Jerusalem a great work.
We must learn this truth: Beware of the world’s friendship and work toward the things God has called you to accomplish.
What work are you doing? Would you describe it as great work? If you are doing what God has called you to do in the task of making disciples, you are not doing things that the world thinks is of great significance—you’re not even doing something that can be measured like building walls—but God’s name is at stake in your life now just as it was at stake in what Nehemiah was doing.
Who do we serve? In whom do we find our identity?
King Jesus (Give the Gospel Message)
King David understood that any work done for the King of Kings was worthy no matter what it entailed.
10 For a day in your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness.
God has called us to live out His glory by trusting Him, walking with Him in purity, and thanking Him for what He gives us.
That is the way that He has called all of us to live, whether we are called into vocational ministry or called to be a brick mason, a hog farmer, a janitor, or a stay at home mom changing diapers.
Putting rocks around a small town is not what made Nehemiah’s work great. A dedication to God’s name, God’s promises, and God’s people is what made Nehemiah’s work great.
That’s what makes our work great as well: God’s name, God’s Word, God’s people. Loving and serving one another and ensuring the proclamation of the gospel from the pulpit and the kitchen table will make this work great.
Nehemiah would not let the work cease to entertain demons and neither should we. Our work is to important. To much is at stake. The name and glory of God is at stake!
What work are you doing for King Jesus?
Remember....
Christian, you are most vulnerable when you think your work is almost complete.
Christian, do not be distracted from your work by the snare of lethal compromise.
Christian, strive to exercise spiritual discernment and determination as you seek to finish your great work.
Invitation:
Invitation to Follow Christ!
Attending church doesn’t make you a Christian any more than going to Memo’s will make you a plate of spaghetti.
Invitation to Rededicate Your Life to God’s Mission.
Serve Jesus with gladness and joy as you live a life of renewed love for Christ and his church.
Invitation to join Christ’s church at Ephesus.
We are not a perfect people, but we worship a perfect savior!
Hymn No. 307
Just As I Am