You know those moments in life where you get a flat tire on your way to work in Austin? It happens. We have moments where we set the chicken out to defrost, we go to bed and leave it on the kitchen counter all night. It happens. We have moments where the kids get sick. It happens.
Those moments disrupt our day. Those moments are discouraging. Those moments are hiccups, and we all expect those moments in life to happen. But sometimes the hits keep coming. Sometimes you wake up to the chicken left on the counter all night. And your kids start crying because they are getting sick. And you go to the car to take them to the doctor in Austin and the tire is flat. It is in those moments that we start looking around like someone is playing a trick on us. We start feeling like the world is against us. We start feeling like we can’t do it!
Most human beings can weather a hiccup here or there. We know life isn’t perfect but what happens when those hiccups pile up and keep coming, and coming, and coming? What do we do in those moments? How do we walk through those moments with a godly perspective? How do we keep from making those hard moments even harder?
This morning we are going to continue through the book of Nehemiah. Nehemiah takes place in the Old Testament and in Nehemiah 6 we are going to see Nehemiah take hit after hit after hit and in the life of Nehemiah we get to see what it looks like to navigate those challenges in a godly way so that this morning we are going to see three sub-points; 1. Clear Purpose. 2. Clear Thinking. 3. Clear Pattern. Let’s look at our first sub-point; 1. We Clear Purpose.
- Clear Purpose. (vs. 1-4)
Nehemiah 6:1, “1 Now when it was reported to Sanballat, Tobiah, to Geshem the Arab and to the rest of our enemies that I had rebuilt the wall, and that no breach remained in it, although at that time I had not set up the doors in the gates,”
In the context of Nehemiah, we know the people are incredibly discouraged. The walls of Jerusalem have been torn down. The gates have been burned. The best and brightest of Jerusalem have been deported into a foreign land, and in chapters 1-3 we see Nehemiah leading the people to do something collectively they couldn’t do individually, and it’s awesome.
In chapter 4 we see external opposition, people who are trying to stop the people from rebuilding the wall. In chapter 5 we see internal opposition, people from within trying to hinder the people from rebuilding the wall.
In the context of chapter 6 we see the opposition hasn’t stopped. In fact, the opposition is intensifying. When we met Sanballat, Tobiah and Geshem in chapter 2 and we learn that they are displeased with Nehemiah. In chapter 4 we see they are furious and very angry with Nehemiah. And now in chapter 6 they are clearly identified as “enemies.” Do you see that in verse 1? Look at verse 2:
Nehemiah 6:2, “2 then Sanballat and Geshem sent a message to me, saying, “Come, let us meet together at Chephirim in the plain of Ono. But they were planning to harm me.”
In verse 2 we see Sanballat and Geshem send a message inviting Nehemiah to meet with them but keep in mind these are the same people who came at Nehemiah in chapter 4. These are the people who were stirring up division. These are the people who were exposing his weaknesses, his ability, his motives. WAM!
And on top of all that they are inviting Nehemiah to meet in the plain of Ono. I don’t know about you but if anyone invites you to meet you anywhere called “the plain of Ono” you should avoid that location at all costs! Right? Oh no! Look at verses 3-4:
Nehemiah 6:3-4, “3 So 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 They sent messages to me four times in this manner, and I answered them in the same way.”
I want us to camp on that phrase “I am doing a great work and I cannot come down.” What is the great work Nehemiah doing? Nehemiah is leading the people. Nehemiah is casting vision. Nehemiah is modeling an example to the people of personal investment; therefore, Nehemiah says, “I cannot come down. I am doing a great work.”
How did Nehemiah come upon this work? Remember Nehemiah 1? Nehemiah the report about Jerusalem. Nehemiah heard about the broken-down walls and burned down gates and when Nehemiah heard these words he wept, he mourned, he fasted, he prayed and Nehemiah was burdened by the Lord to respond, so that Nehemiah didn’t stumble into this work, but Nehemiah was called by the Lord into this work, and it is Nehemiah’s calling from the Lord that leads him through these challenges.
In the same way, hiccups and challenges are going to come in life. There are going to be moments we want to quit. There are going to be moments we want to embrace mediocrity and just coast through life but just like in Nehemiah, every person in this room has been called by God into a great work. Did you know that?
Every person in this room is being called to grow in their relationship with God. Every person in this room is called to a vocation as an act of worship unto the Lord. Genesis 2 humanity is called to cultivate the garden. Colossians 3, “Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord than for man.” It’s a calling on our life from the Lord.
If you are married, you have been called by God to the great work of marriage. If you are a parent, you have been called to the great work of raising children. If you are a follower of Jesus, you have been called to the great work of His Kingdom lived out in the body of Christ.
Those areas of our life aren’t “great” because the world tells us they are great. The world tells us that our relationship with God is optional, our work is an obligation, marriage is indifferent, parenting should be avoided, which is always funny when people who have been birthed into this world are condescending toward having children.
No, our world will be indifferent toward those things, and I think our world would have been indifferent toward Nehemiah leading the people to rebuild the wall because Nehemiah walked away from a prestigious position as the cupbearer to the Persian King, and yet in verse 3 Nehemiah says, “I can’t come down. I am doing a great work.” Let’s talk about our second sub-point; 2. Clear Thinking.
- Clear Thinking. (vs. 5-9)
Nehemiah 6:5, “5 Then Sanballat sent his servant to me in the same manner a fifth time with an open letter in his hand.”
A letter would have typically been sealed with a wax stamp so as to convey authority. A sealed letter would have conveyed credibility. A sealed letter would have conveyed respect so as to send a private word between you and another person, but Sanballat sends an “open letter” for all to see, so that this letter would have been equivalent to a smear campaign. Look at verses 6-7:
Nehemiah 6:6-7, “6 In it was written, “It is reported among the nations, and Gashmu says, that you and the Jews are planning to rebel; therefore you are rebuilding the wall. And you are to be their king, according to these reports. 7 You have also appointed prophets to proclaim in Jerusalem concerning you, ‘A king is in Judah!’ And now it will be reported to the king according to these reports. So come now, let us take counsel together.”
The opposition doesn’t stop. The opposition comes at Nehemiah a fifth time with an open letter that starts off with the phrase “it is reported among the nations.” Listen to me, you need to know this phrase “it is reported among the nations” is trying to stir up division.
This phrase “it is reported among the nations” is like when we say, “I heard some people say.” We don’t really have this happen in our church family, but you can see this type of pattern in the workplace, extended family, and sometimes in the local church when someone wants to put weight behind their words.
People will say things like, “I’ve heard some people don’t like that we have ham at Christmas.” Or we like to use the pronoun “they.” I am not sure “they” would want you to bring cupcakes to the party. I always ask, “Who’s “they?”
In the context of verses 6 and 7 Sanballat is implying that Nehemiah is declaring himself king of Judah, appointing prophets, putting up banners, so as to position Nehemiah against the King of Persia, which would have been really scary.
The King of Persia has all the military, all the power, all the resources, so there’s no way Nehemiah wants to stir up these rumors. And it’s not like they had text messaging back then so this is something that could get out of hand quick. This would be scary! Look at how Nehemiah responds. Look at verse 8-9:
Nehemiah 6:8-9, “8 Then I sent a message to him saying, “Such things as you are saying have not been done, but you are inventing them in your own mind.” 9 For all of them were trying to frighten us, thinking, “They will become discouraged with the work and it will not be done.” But now, O God, strengthen my hands.”
I love Nehemiah’s response in verse 8, “Such things you are saying have not been done.” Listen to me, hiccups in life are going to come in life and not only do we want to be clear on our calling we want to be clear on our rational thinking.
One of the patterns that happens when we encounter a repeated pattern of hiccups and challenges in life is that we get overwhelmed emotionally. When we get overwhelmed emotionally, we get tired physically.
When we get overwhelmed emotionally and tired physically, we are getting drained spiritually and many times we don’t realize it, but you can see it coming because in those moments we become filled with what I call the dreaded D’s.
We become disappointed. The hiccups of life pile up and eventually we become discouraged. We start to dread the different parts of life. We become discontent. We start looking around at how great everyone else has it in life but all we see is difficulty.
We start to doubt. Why did God call me to this career? How did I end up in this marriage? Why did God give me these children? Why do I live in this city? Why do I have these friends?
When we find ourselves spinning out those thoughts it is easier to be deceived. In those moments we are beginning to build out a false reality, an imaginary place that is free from all challenges because we have been overcome with despair.
Listen to me church family in Austin, when the hiccups of life start rolling in we must be clear on our calling and we must be rational in our thinking, so that we can call out those lies like Nehemiah of old and say, “Such things are not true.”
2 Corinthians 10:5, “5 We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.”
This verse is so helpful to me personally. When I am in those moments in life when the “dreaded d’s” are coming at me I will run to this verse. Sometimes I am driving down the road in Austin and the Holy Spirit will whisper into my ear, “Those things aren’t true!”
I will be in one of those places in life where the car breaks down like all cars do, and then I will think, if the car keeps breaking down I will have to get a new car, and if I have to get a new car we are going to be stretched financially, and if get stretched financially we are going to encounter more stress in our marriage, and if we encounter more stress in our marriage I am going to perform worse at work, if I perform worse at work then I am going to lose my job, if I lose my job we I am going to lose the house, if I lose the house, we are going to be homeless, and within seconds I am thinking if our family can live under that part of 183. And I can get there in about 10 seconds, because the car broke down!
And by God’s grace there will be moments the Holy Spirit will show me my thinking isn’t rational and I will pray out this verse, “Holy Spirit help me to stop chasing thoughts and emotions and live in what is true.”
I have no idea what is going to happen in the future. All the forecasting we see in our culture right now of what’s going to happen in the economy, what’s going to happen in our country, what’s going to happen if World War 3 happens. We don’t know and, in those moments, we need to focus on what we know and think clearly. Let’s look at our last sub-point; 3. Clear Pattern.
- Clear Pattern (vs. 10-14)
Nehemiah 6:10, “10 When I entered the house of Shemaiah the son of Delaiah, son of Mehetabel, who was confined at home, he said, “Let us meet together in the house of God, within the temple, and let us close the doors of the temple, for they are coming to kill you, and they are coming to kill you at night.”
We don’t know a ton about Shemaiah. Shemaiah is a guy we’ve never seen before, and Shemaiah is never talked about again in all of Scripture. At first glance it looks like Shemaiah might be a person of encouragement in the life of Nehemiah because Nehemiah is going to meet Shemaiah in his home.
But as we look closer, we see Shemaiah is trying to get Nehemiah to enter into the temple, which is only a place the priests could, the holy of holies, so now Nehemiah has Sanballat, Tobiah, Geshum, and Shemaiah coming at him. And there are still those rumors floating around that might create division between Nehemiah and the King of Persia. Look at verses 11-13:
Nehemiah 6:11-13, “11 But I said, “Should a man like me flee? And could one such as I go into the temple to save his life? I will not go in.” 12 Then I perceived that surely God had not sent him, but he uttered his prophecy against me because Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him. 13 He was hired for this reason, that I might become frightened and act accordingly and sin, so that they might have an evil report in order that they could reproach me.”
Not only do we want to be clear on the good work the Lord has called us to, we want to have clear thinking, and we want to be clear on the importance of God’s Word in our life.
The reason Nehemiah was able to “perceive that God had not sent him” is because Nehemiah knows God’s Word. I wish I could tell you showing up on Sunday morning will give you enough of God’s Word in your life to navigate the challenges of life, but every follower of Jesus must be getting into God’s Word every day.
We have these devotionals to help us get into God’s Word as a church family in Austin. We map out what we do on Sunday morning so we can study God’s Word every day throughout the week, and I promise you will get so much more out of Sunday morning.
The reason we are focusing on “Build and Belong” as a church family in Austin is so that we have the types of relationships with one another that encourage us to get into God’s Word every day. The reason we moved into this new location is so that we can meet people and help people get into God’s Word every day, and it’s because we need God’s Word every day.
Sometimes people can get frustrated with God’s Word because we don’t understand God’s Word or we see these amazing stories of God doing these great things and we think to ourselves, “Why doesn’t God do those great things in our life?”
Why doesn’t God take these hiccups away? Why doesn’t God take these challenges away? Why doesn’t God do these amazing miracles in our life today? But you need to remember that most of the miraculous stories in the bible are just singular events surrounded by a bunch of ordinary, difficult, hard, days of staying focused on the great work the Lord has placed in our life.
In the book of Acts we read these miraculous stories and those stories are awesome, but the book of Acts takes over 30 years, and there are about 29 miracles recorded in the book of Acts, so they are averaging a miracle every year.
We turn the page and see the next miracle, but we don’t realize that when we turn the page we are going through a whole year of life. A whole year of waking up, eating breakfast, staying focused, and working hard on the great works the Lord had for them in Acts.
Still, we push back, and we say to ourselves, “Yeah but I wish God spoke to me like He speaks to people in the Bible.” He does! We know more about God through His Word than Moses knew about God through a burning bush and parting of the Red Sea.
The Word of God teaches us so much about the character of God, the history of humanity, the purpose of life, the end of days, and there is so much direction and insight the Lord gives us into every part of life through His Word but for us to know His direction and insight for our life we need to know His Word. Look at verse 15 as we close:
Nehemiah 6:15-16, “15 So the wall was completed on the twenty-fifth of the month Elul, in fifty-two days. 16 When all our enemies heard of it, and all the nations surrounding us saw it, they lost their confidence; for they recognized that this work had been accomplished with the help of our God.”
In verse 15 we see the wall is completed in 52 days. The length of the wall is about 2.5 miles. It stood about 40 feet tall and about 8 feet wide, and it was completed in 52 days against all odds.
I wish I could tell you that from this point on the history of Nehemiah gets easier. I wish I could tell you the opposition disappears. Nehemiah and his people live happily ever after but if you’ve been reading Nehemiah then you will know the hiccups and challenges keep coming.
In fact, if we fast forward to Nehemiah 13, we are going to see Nehemiah struggling. Nehemiah is getting frustrated with the people. Nehemiah is discouraged and starts throwing punches and pulling out hair. It’s going to get harder for Nehemiah and that’s why it’s important to remember Nehemiah isn’t the hero of the story.
We aren’t studying through Nehemiah so we can grow up to be like Nehemiah. We aren’t studying through Nehemiah so we can be stronger and take on hard challenges in life. Dressing up like Nehemiah for Halloween isn’t the goal of God’s Word in our life this morning.
The reason we study Nehemiah, the reason we study God’s Word is because all of God’s Word points us to a hope that is fully name known in Jesus. God’s Word doesn’t call us to try harder. God’s Word points us to a hope of a Savior who has already accomplished a great work on our behalf. His name is Jesus.
Jesus is the One who already went through the greatest hiccups and challenges in life and defeated them. Jesus is the One who was already tempted with discouragement, doubt, despair and He conquered it.
God’s Word isn’t calling us to be like Jesus. God’s Word is calling us to the One who had a great work to do in His life, death, and resurrection and completed that great work, so that when we get distracted, when we get discouraged, when we doubt it is Jesus completed work in His life, death, and resurrection that is holding us together.
Did you notice that at the end of verse 16? The nations saw the great work that had been done and saw that it was the God of Scripture who had done the work. In the same way, Jesus is doing a great work in His people, so that the world would look upon His creation and know that it is the Lord at work in our lives.
I need you to hear that this morning. It isn’t us fighting our way through life’s hiccups and challenges and if we fight hard enough, we can make it till the end. Jesus has already fought through the greatest hiccups and challenges in life, so that our trust is in Him, our faith is in Him and as we live by faith in Jesus, we bring glory to God.