Nehemiah 4 (pp. 474-75 in the pew bibles)

1. Background
   1. Opposition began in v. 2:20
   2. Nehemiah’s response to critics—God’s hand is on what we’re are doing; you have no portion in this (you are not in God’s will)
   3. Who are these people?
      1. Sanballat—governor of neighboring Samaria; believer in the Lord but not serious in seeking God
      2. Tobiah—governor of neighboring Ammon

1. Why is there opposition?
   1. Personally threatened: may be more interested in their position than God’s work in the church
   2. May be more interested in status quo (because it’s comfortable) than doing God’s work; fear of change
   3. Opposition is ultimately spiritual: Ephesians 6:12

1. God’s Plan Opposed
   1. Opposition began with taunts (verbal taunts and criticism are often the first way of opposing) vv. 1-3; focuses on the impossibility
   2. Nehemiah and the people’s response: honest heartfelt prayer; then continue to build vv. 4-5
   3. Opposition increases—planned attacks vv. 7-8
   4. Nehemiah and the people’s response: more prayer
      1. V. 9 shows the combination of both prayer and action
   5. V. 10ff shows the fear and discouragement of the people

1. Staying Focused
   1. Vs. 11ff—With Nehemiah’s leadership; the people don’t back down; they confront the opposition in a defensive manner
      1. **They were willing to face their fears
      2. They didn’t shy away from the opposition
      3. They didn’t seek to compromise with the opposition
   2. Nehemiah encouraged them:
      1. Remember the Lord (v. 14)
      2. Fight for your brothers, sons, daughters, etc.
      3. Our God will fight for us! (v. 20)

1. Our Objective
   1. To be faithful to God in our proclamation and lifestyle
   2. To be relevant to the community and the emerging generation and effective in our outreach
   3. What is worth fighting for?
      1. Faithfulness to God’s word/ Keeping Christ at the center of our faith
      2. Fight for Relevance—fight for our children and grandchildren