Nehemiah 4:1-6 (11/29/23)

Benham Brothers

Studies Download App

Nehemiah 4:1-6 (11/29/23)

Responding To Our Enemies

November 29, 2023 • Benham Brothers

* The war in Israel is a physical manifestation of the spiritual battle.

* The Bible is a book about Israel.

* OT - enemies attacking Israel

* NT - enemies ruling over Israel

* So why Israel? - Gotta go back to beginning (War in Heaven - Rev 12)

* God created Adam - gave him authority over the earth.

* He sinned & Satan became prince of the earth.

* God had to send His Son - He needed a nationality (ISRAEL)!

* Rev 12:13 - “When the dragon saw that he had been hurled to the earth, he pursued the woman who had given birth to the male child.”

* The Woman = Israel

* Male Child = Jesus (the OT/NT shows us this pursuit)

* Satan knew Jesus (in heaven).

* God protected both. So look what Satan did:

* Rev 12:17 - “Then the dragon was enraged at the woman and went off to wage war against the rest of her offspring—those who keep God’s commands and hold fast their testimony about Jesus.”

* Offspring = Christians

* This is why Iran chants “Death to Israel AND America.”

* Satan wants to take you out!

* So if we’re in a battle, what are we to do?

* BE FAITHFUL - just like Nehemiah!

* Backstory - We read in Nehemiah 3 that the Jews began building the walls of Jerusalem.

* When we turn to Nehemiah 4 we discover that this project was carried out in the face of ruthless and unrelenting opposition.

* The instigators were three-fold:

* Sanballat - governor of Samaria.

* He was a descendant of the mixed race that settled in Samaria after the Assyrian conquest ( 2 Kings 17).

* Tobiah - an Ammonite official who was from an old and famous family that ruled Ammon for years.

* Both Sanballat and Tobiah were related to the High Priest in Jerusalem.

* Geshem - an Arab man who was even more influential and formidable than Sanballat and Tobiah.

* Satan sought to discourage the Israelites through these three guys using:

* Mockery, Threats, Fear.

* vs 1-3 - “When Sanballat heard that we were rebuilding the wall, he became angry and was greatly incensed. He ridiculed the Jews, and in the presence of his associates and the army of Samaria, he said, “What are those feeble Jews doing? Will they restore their wall? Will they offer sacrifices? Will they finish in a day? Can they bring the stones back to life from those heaps of rubble—burned as they are?” Tobiah the Ammonite, who was at his side, said, “What they are building—even a fox climbing up on it would break down their wall of stones!”

* How did Nehemiah respond?

* Two ways:

* 1) He brought the situation to God:

* vs 4-5 - “Hear us, our God, for we are despised. Turn their insults back on their own heads. Give them over as plunder in a land of captivity. Do not cover up their guilt or blot out their sins from your sight, for they have thrown insults in the face of the builders.”

* Going to God aligns your head w/your heart.

* You think in terms of “God’s got this.”

* In God’s presence, we get His power.

* 2) He stayed faithful to his work:

* vs 6 - “So we rebuilt the wall till all of it reached half its height, for the people worked with all their heart.”

* Theor response wasn't, "so we convened a meeting to figure out how to appease those who were reviling us."

* They simply continued the work.

* Why? Because they had a mind to work.

* In light of what you know to do, KEEP DOING IT!

Nehemiah 1-2 (8/12/21)

August 12, 2021 • Benham Brothers • Nehemiah 1, Nehemiah 2

Nehemiah 1-2 - Nehemiah, Entrepreneur * Two things I want to accomplish: * Redefine the word “entrepreneur.” * Give you five traits of a kingdom entrepreneur. * Defining the Entrepreneur * Normal definition - An entrepreneur is a “risk-taking go-getter who generates income by meeting the needs of others.” * Marks of an entrepreneur: * They’re fiercely independent (don’t want to work for others). * They are self-starters (highly motivated). * They don’t need to be managed. * They think creatively (w/a bent toward adventure). * They embrace risk, they don’t avoid it. * They see opportunities when others see obstacles. * Defining the Kingdom Entrepreneur * “Entre” means “go between” / “Prende” means “to undertake.” * An entrepreneur goes between people with problems to bring solutions. * An entrepreneur’s identity is that of an intercessor (Ezekiel 22). * Kingdom Entrepreneur - “a risk-taking go-getter who generates income by meeting needs so that he can be a bridge that connects people to God.” * A kingdom entrepreneur: * Knows he’s a minister right where he is. * Is fueled by a sense of mission for God. * Understands that his work is worship. * Sees himself as an intercessor for others. * Example - Jesus from 18-22 years old. * Example - Nehemiah! * He saw a niche of people with a problem and he slides in between with a solution. * He was not a “vocational minister.” He was a government leader who knew how to run a business. * Notice these five traits of Nehemiah: * 1) He was a PRAYER (vs 1:1-4). * 2) He was a PURSUER (vs 2:1-5). * 3) He was a PLANNER (vs 2:11-13). * 4) He was a PRODUCER (vs 2:17-18). * Vs 19 - Enemies showed up once he started producing. * The next several chaps has them building and battling (sword and trowel)! * 5) He was a PURIFIER (chap 13 - the final chap - is all about purification). * He used his platform to purify the nation. * It wasn’t enough for them to have a wall - they needed the presence of God, and this couldn’t happen apart from purity. * He kicked Tobiah, the Ammonite, out of the Temple (he was given a room by a corrupt priest) - Nehemiah 13:1-9. * He re-allocated finances so the Levites could come back and serve in the Temple (they hadn’t been paid so they had to leave and work) - Nehemiah 13:10-13. * He reinstituted the Sabbath and setup protocols so people wouldn’t break it - Nehemiah 13:15-22. * He dealt with their impure marriages to foreign women (he physically assaulted these guys) - Nehemiah 13:23-31. *

Nehemiah 1:3-4 (7/16/17)

July 16, 2017 • Benham Brothers

•Review 5 core human needs - Security, Identity, Belonging, Purpose, Competence. •Testimony of Competence - God told us to do something we didn’t know we were good at. •We trusted God (Security) and then discovered: We're Ministers (Identity), We're on Mission (Purpose), Our work is worship (Competence). •DEFINITIONS: •Worship - our attempt to make God smile (Trae doing lawn). •Our primary way to worship God is through our WORK. •Work - “anything you gotta do” (Ecclesiastes 9:10 - competence). •3 truths about making your work worship to God (3 R's): •1) The Requirement of work is faithfulness. •* Our MOTIVE is to make God smile. •Nehemiah 1:3-4 - his work was born out of his worship. •What, Where, When no longer matter. Why, How, and Who is what fuels you. •Action precedes motivation - just start acting like your work is worship and it will become. •* Our ATTITUDE is surrender. •John Quincy Adams - "Duty is mine. Results are God's." •Acts 20:22 - Replace yourself in this verse: •“And now I am on my way to mow that lawn, even though I’m broke and have mouths to feed.” •“And now I’m going to tell the truth, not knowing if it’s going to cost my job.” •“And now I’m going to teach my kids homeschool, not knowing if they’ll ever learn to read!” •STORY - Tori teaching homeschool. •** When your work is worship you’re blessed with ENERGY to continue doing it. If it's not then you are cursed with LETHARGY! •2) The Result of work is rest. •In the OT work and rest were separate (Sabbath). •In the NT work and rest go hand-in-hand (Jesus is our Sabbath, now honor the Sabbath). •Matthew 11:28-30 - When you enter God’s work you enter God’s rest. •STORY - Apologizing to kids / Flight back from Dallas. •3) The Result of work is that God gets glory. •John 17:4 - I have brought you glory by finishing the work….. •What does it mean to bring God glory? •Matthew 5:16 - Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good “works”……. •** KEY ** - Our work isn't complete until we've given God credit for the job we did. •The moon shines only because it properly reflects the light of the sun. •CLOSE - when your work is worship: •Nehemiah 2:7-9 - AUTHORITY & ASSETS of the king. •When we make our work worship God gives us His authority & assets to do the job. •Nehemiah wasn't a builder or governor - he was a cupbearer. •If the walls are broken down, we have the authority to rebuild them. •What is broken down in your own realm? •1) Personal life - spirit, soul, body. •2) Family - spouse, kids, extended family. •3) Community - church body, workplace, neighborhood, gym. •4) City & Nation.

Nehemiah 1:3-4 (7/16/15)

July 16, 2015 • Benham Brothers

When Nehemiah heard there was a problem how did he respond first? 1) Fasted - he denied himself something in the physical to gain something in the spiritual. 2) Prayed - he recognized God's sovereignty and gave the problem to the Lord. America has spiritual problems that are manifesting themselves physically. We need to start by doing the same thing Nehemiah did - Fast & Pray. This will lead you to do what Nehemiah did in Neh 13.