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Sermon Notes

What Keeps Us Going?

Sunday 27 May 2018 Pastor Craig Ledbetter Nehemiah 6:1-16
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I. Introduction (Matthew 5:38-42)

A. Jesus taught us to keep going

  1. In the Garden of Gethsemane, He kept going
  2. When rejected and abandoned and then crucified, He kept going

B. You and I need SOMETHING to keep us going…

  1. To get us to stay in our marriages
  2. To keep US teaching our children the right way to live, instead of turning just about everything over to the State, and to the schools, and to the TV
  3. To stay on the narrow and strait path, when it gets next to impossible
  4. To keep following Jesus when it seems more and more out of step with the rest of the world (John 6:67)

C. Because our enemy the devil, is set on hindering, slowing, halting, and collapsing us and our efforts to follow the Lord Jesus (1 Thessalonians 2:18)

II. Background (Nehemiah 6)

A. It is about 440 years before the birth of Christ

B. Nehemiah has returned to the land of Israel, and gotten a small group of people busy rebuilding the city walls of ancient Jerusalem

  1. They were not professional masons or architects or brick-layers
  2. These builders were simple people and their families, struggling to quickly rebuild protective walls and gates so that they could get back to raising their families and enjoy living as the people of God

C. They were not welcome there

  • They were surrounded - under constant threat by the army of the Samaritans (4:7,8)
  • The Samaritans were people who had no respect for the things of God, and no love for the people of God
  • They were pagans who had run the lives of the people in Jerusalem for the past 160 years and were not wanting to just let them go!

D. Scared, discouraged, and distracted, the Jewish people were losing heart (4:10)

E. Nehemiah, the leader, the man with the burden and vision, had to do something

F. Last week, we learned that he did a lot of things…

G. One important thing he did was…

  1. ARM the people! (4:13,17,18)
  2. He placed a weapon in every hand to deter the Samaritans from attacking
  3. And that restored their purpose and joy in building those walls! Without fear!

H. Spiritual Warfare is real for the believer…

“Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” - Ephesians 6:11,12

  1. Nehemiah is not just a history lesson
  2. It is a description of the kind of battles all believers face
  3. And the instructions on HOW to face our enemy down instead of being defeated
  4. The war is real
  5. And the consequences are eternal

“The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy” - John 10:10

I. What are Christians like today?

  1. Demoralised and discouraged
  2. Not winning many battles
  3. Watching the world take away their children and grandchildren
  4. Wondering if it is really all going to work out

J. How do we just keep going?

Let’s read Nehemiah 6:1-16, and…

  1. Resolve to STAY
  2. To never quit
  3. To do right - vote right - live right - to actually BE right

III. Message - What Keeps Us Going? (Nehemiah 6:1-16)

A. Stay Focused on the Finish (6:1-4)

  1. Don’t get distracted by meetings and discussions
  2. The enemy wants to pull you away from your work
  3. Nehemiah refused four times to come down from the wall
  4. He said, “I am doing a great work, so that I cannot come down”

B. Don’t Be Intimidated by Lies (6:5-9)

  1. The enemy spreads rumours and false accusations
  2. They accused Nehemiah of rebellion against the king
  3. Nehemiah responded with truth and prayer
  4. He strengthened his hands and kept working

C. Don’t Let Fear Stop You (6:10-14)

  1. False prophets tried to scare Nehemiah into hiding
  2. They wanted him to sin by going into the temple (he wasn’t a priest)
  3. Nehemiah recognized the trap
  4. He refused to be afraid or to sin

D. The Wall Was Finished! (6:15,16)

  1. In just 52 days!
  2. Even their enemies perceived that this work was wrought of God
  3. The enemies were much cast down in their own eyes
  4. God was glorified through the perseverance of His people

IV. Application

A. What Keeps Us Going?

  1. A clear vision of what God wants done
  2. A determination to finish what we started
  3. A refusal to be distracted or discouraged
  4. A commitment to prayer when opposition comes
  5. Faith that God is with us and will complete His work

B. Practical Steps

  1. Know your assignment from God
  2. Don’t let anyone pull you away from it
  3. Respond to lies with truth, not arguments
  4. Don’t give in to fear - it’s a trap
  5. Keep working until the job is done

The wall was built because ordinary people refused to quit. What wall is God asking you to build? Keep going!

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