Nehemiah 4 (Part 3) Bible Study (The Work Resumes) | Pastor Daniel Batarseh (7/24/26)

This is your first time at our bible study, a special welcome to you. We hope that you will be blessed. In fact, why don't we pray and ask the Lord to help us now as we come to his word. Lord, it is our great joy to be able to come here together as your family and to receive fresh nourishment from your word. But, lord, we also acknowledge that we cannot seek this without your help.

You must help us even in our weakness, and we gladly confess our weaknesses. And so, Lord, at this moment, we pray that we would know your special assistance. We would sense your presence. We would realize a greater illumination into your truth, and it would cause us to become worshipers. And you would cause us to become more joyfully obedient.

And that, Lord, you would mold us into the image of your son, the Lord Jesus Christ. We pray that you would use this passage in the book of Nehemiah to accomplish it. And so, Lord, we pray that our minds and our hearts would be apprehended by your power and that we would receive from you without any distraction, without any hindrance, without any objection, that you'll be glorified in our experience of this study. We ask these things in Jesus' name. Amen.

Amen. It's so good to be behind this sacred desk again. And I'll invite you to come with me to the book of Nehemiah as we complete chapter four by God's help. Nehemiah chapter four, and if you're already there, place your finger at verse 15. If we were to summarize in a statement what Nehemiah chapter four is about, we can say that it reveals the kind of opposition we can expect whenever God's work advances in a significant way.

And these satanic tactics that we've explored can indeed be experienced on a personal level, but the emphasis of Nehemiah chapter four is how it is known on a corporate dimension. And hopefully, you remember that in our past two studies of this chapter, we've looked at two very important perspectives about this reality. Part one was about identifying some of the most obvious and repeated onslaughts of Satan against God's servants who are serious about the ministry. While part two was about how Nehemiah models for us the appropriate response to the lies and the doubts and the threats of the evil one as we seek to serve God with all of our hearts. And we have indeed learned so much already and what we've seen in this chapter thus far.

However, the text is not over yet and neither is this is this message about persevering through opposition in the midst of God's work. What we're going to look at in the final verses of this chapter is the outcome, the aftermath of Nehemiah stands against these attacks and they'll be encouraging to us. However, I wanna let you know from the outset that the central point of this passage is that even though Nehemiah successfully overcame these obstacles, he still took important measures to prepare himself and God's people for future attacks. He understood that though there is a refrain, there is this repose from intense persecution. Inevitably, it will resurface at one point or another.

And so he provides us here things that he applies, attitudes that he adopts that are worth imitating. And we will consider these things more carefully, but at first, we have to look at the transitional statement here in verse 15. So we're just going to read one verse to start and then we'll consider the rest of it as we move along. Look at verse 15 with me of Nehemiah chapter four. He writes, when our enemies heard that it was known to us and that God had frustrated their plan, we all return to the wall each to his work.

I want to ask and answer two questions from the single verse. It will help us refresh our memories and to review what we've looked at thus far. Number one, we see here that we have to ask what was the plan exactly of the enemy that is being highlighted in this text. And we don't have to guess. We have to just go to what the enemy said early on in this very passage.

So scroll back to verse 11. What are the foes of the people of Judah say? What did they admit about their desire and scheming against them? In Nehemiah four eleven, and our enemy said, they will not know or see till we come among them and kill them and stop the work. It's summarized in those last three words.

The single goal of the enemies of the adversaries of the people of God here and today and tomorrow will be to stop whatever God's work is doing, however it is maturing, wherever it is advancing. And at first, they implemented mockery and scorn to try to discourage them and eventually escalated to what? Threats and rumors that instill even greater fear. But here's what's so wonderful, none of it succeeded. None of it worked.

Why? Because back at verse 15, we read here that God thwarted their plans, which naturally then leads us to this following question. How did God frustrate the plans of these evil men? And I think the way we answer that is by reviewing what Nehemiah did. So let's do this very quickly.

Go back to verse nine of Nehemiah four. And we prayed to our God and set a guard as a protection against them day and night. He prayed. Look at verse 13 now. After praying, we read, so in the lowest parts of the space behind the wall in open places, I stationed the people by their clans with their swords, their spears, and their bows.

So he knows what's happening here after Nehemiah submits this to the Lord. He he understands that there can be an outbreak of guerrilla warfare at any moment. And so what does he do here? He he sets up people in certain posts, arms them with actual weapons, both to deter the enemy and to be ready should an attack come about. And this is yet another wonderful illustration of the necessity of being believing in prayer but also diligent practically.

He prays, number one, that's his first reflex. The second thing he does is that he practically confronts the threat. He doesn't just stay on his knees. Getting on your knees is very important, but he gets up and he plans. So Nehemiah seeks God.

You and I must see God in all things, but he also understood that the Lord Lord works through human means, hands on concepts and realities. And so he also puts weapons in the hands of some of these men. Listen. It is not unspiritual to seek answers and real life solutions. I know some would believe that.

I know some even who teach that. One of the things that I've heard tragically with my own ears and certainly have seen and heard online by way of example is how people oppose the concept of Christians seeking medical help from actual doctors and and real medicine. You can disprove that silly idea just from a few passages in the New Testament. I even heard a gentleman say online once, he's not a Christian, but he accused Christians of being so naive and so simplistic. In fact, Christianity promoting dangerous concepts because he tried to make a case that believing in Jesus and studying about his life and taking him at his word would suggest that you should never seek any kind of intervention medically, but you should trust in him supernaturally healing you.

Look, I believe that God can supernaturally heal us, but I remember hearing that thinking to myself, actually, Jesus Christ himself had a very positive opinion about medicine and doctors. Does anybody have an idea of a verse where that may be suggested in the New Testament, namely in the gospels? Do we find anywhere that the great physician himself gives a hint that he does not oppose physicians? Do you remember what he said in Luke five thirty one and thirty two? That those who are healthy have no need of what?

A physician, but those who are sick. I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance. Clearly, this is a spiritual metaphor, but I'm inclined to believe that the lord acknowledges that sick people need a doctor through it. If God were opposed to this in any way, I doubt that he would have used this analogy, but he doesn't. In fact, the very one who recorded those words and penned them in his account was a practicing physician himself.

Was he not? Luke, the beloved physician? So you see this is just one example to show. We find in Nehemiah, we see it in Jesus' teachings, we certainly see it in the epistles that being in tune with God doesn't mean that you dismiss the means of grace that you can touch and handle in this life and in this world. So Nehemiah prays, Nehemiah practically confronts the threat.

And look here at Nehemiah four verse 14. And I looked and arose and said to the nobles and to the officials and to the rest of the people, do not be afraid of them. Remember the Lord who is great and awesome and fight for your brothers, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your homes. He verbally encourages God's people. Why am I mentioning all of this?

Because when you go back to verse 15 and learn that it was God who frustrated the plans of those who sought to fight against God's people and his purposes, there's no indication that he manifested with some exodus type of glory that caused them to flee. There is no hint whatsoever that he's he dispatched an angel from heaven while they were sleeping and slayed them, and there was all these bodies surrounding Jerusalem like we've seen in other accounts of the Old Testament. We learned that God had frustrated their plan, and the only clue that we have is what we see in the preceding verses where Nehemiah prays, Nehemiah practically confronts the threat, Nehemiah encourages people, the people of God verbally, and God uses the combination of those things to weaken Satan's strategies in the lives of God's people. These are accessible to you and I. And if we just simply walk by faith and apply these things, then we too can trust that the enemy's plans lose their power.

God does answer prayer. God does move through practical wisdom. God can speak to you and through you like Nehemiah shows via encouragement and pointing people back to the truths of scripture. But be warned, where there is no intercession, where there is an unwillingness to take wise and realistic precautions, and where there is little to no encouragement, you and I put ourselves in a position of weakness and vulnerability. Our church becomes much more susceptible to satanic onslaughts.

This is to assure you and this is to excite you that what is at our disposal is very achievable and God can work through them. God frustrated their plan, but he used prayer, practical wisdom, and encouragement to do it. Now I'm aware that we've been discussing spiritual warfare quite a bit in our recent studies, and we're going to continue to do so as we go through this text. But I want to pause for a moment and discuss something that can be easily overlooked. Look at the language of verse 15 very carefully, especially the last part.

I'll just read the whole thing again. Nehemiah writes, when our enemies heard that it was known to us and that God had frustrated their plan, we all returned to the wall each to his work. This seems to denote a shift taking place that Nehemiah and his crew went from a defensive position back to construction work without a sense of immediate threats. Right? Look at it again, the last part.

We all return to the wall implying what? That prior to this, they were on high alert. But after God had frustrated their plan, the danger meter went from red to yellow, so to speak. And they were able to now, for at least a time, focus all their energy and all their efforts on what they were there to begin with to build the wall around Jerusalem. Now why is that worth mentioning?

Why is that worth highlighting? Because it shows here that although you and I are in a constant battle with the evil one from time to time, God can intervene in such a way where he gives us moments and even long periods of rest and relief. In other words, it is entirely possible for the church to enjoy seasons when intense spiritual conflict subsides for a stretch of time. I'll tell you why that's important to trust and believe and even teach because you have some people who say things like, well, if you don't have any problems in your life or in your church's life, then it probably means that you're not doing anything to upset Satan enough. Have you heard people say things like that?

No, just me? And though that is true that that, yes, when there is an open door for ministry and God seems to be moving in a special way, we can expect some kind of opposition. It is not always true. A true healthy church can actually enjoy periods of peace, but what they do with that peace is vitally important. Perhaps you're not persuaded.

So let's go to the new testament. I want us to see one verse together before we continue Nehemiah four. It's a little statement here in Acts nine and verse 31. In acts nine thirty one, the spirit of God writes for us. So the church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria had peace and was being built up.

And walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it multiplied. What's the context of the scripture? Well, before it, we learn in great detail of whose conversion? Saul. The early church's fiercest enemy.

In other words, the peace being described here is a wonderful fruit of Christianity's greatest opponent being dealt with by the goodness of God. The glory of Christ meets Saul of Tarsus, brings him to his knees, and ultimately transforms him. And as we read that and see the evidence of it, we come to this verse and realize the ramifications of that. The church in the wider region experienced peace. Peace.

You know, you and I are called to pray for this kind of peace. First Timothy two one to two is one example of that, that we should seek the Lord that we may live peaceful and quiet lives. That's in the context of asking God to to bless our government and our leadership politically so that we would be left alone so that we can do what God has called us to do. And here we read that he he grants it to the church early on in its infancy. But listen, as much as that is a reward that God can grant, it also calls for responsibility.

In the very same verse here in acts nine and thirty one where we learned that God had granted peace to the church, we also read what? That they were being built up. That they were walking in the fear of the Lord. And that in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it multiplied. I think that is absolutely imperative for us to understand.

Because all of us here understand and know that it is totally possible to allow an atmosphere or an environment of peace to create complacency. But instead here, the early church teaches us something. God creates space for them to no longer spend their energy, at least for a time evading and deflecting and defending themselves against attacks. And what do they choose to do with this liberty? They flourish.

They flourish in discipleship. They flourish in teaching. They flourish in witnessing. In other words, this is this is a word for Christianity in America because here I see the early church stewarding their freedom very well. And it's instructive for us here as Christians living in a nation where we get to know and tap into a measure of freedom that is unusual.

If we're not careful, the lack of persecution around us can cause us to actually fall asleep very easily. But I see the early Christians here translating this piece and seeing it as a window of opportunity to build and to deepen and to expand. When I looked at this earlier today, it was genuinely my prayer that as a church, yes, the church at large, but we're responsible for this church ultimately. We would be strategic. We'd be very strategic.

We we wouldn't take what we have here for granted, but we would understand that there is something special about this nation that allows us to freely speak about the gospel in stores and at work. We've come very close to experiencing real censorship online, but by God's mercy, we still can post truth on every platform possible without it being deleted immediately or being fined for it. And even a facility like this, the fact that we can come here freely, not think twice about it, and enjoy Bible studies and hear sermons and bring people who don't know Christ without worrying about them reporting us to the authorities, that in itself is a grace. This is a time of great peace, and we must believe that it's God who gave it to us. As we're about to see, Nehemiah is not taking the reprieve that he experiences here in verse 15 for granted either.

Moreover, he is aware that new assaults can emerge at any time. And so here's the main point of the bible study now. He's actually going to show us three ways that you and I as a congregation can be better prepared for future attacks and better protect what God is building through us even while we are savoring internal and external tranquility in our community. Three ways, three attitudes, three mentalities, if you will, whatever word helps you remember what I'm about to say. Here's a man with his people who had witnessed God intervene, defend them.

What are they going to do? Well, the first thing that they're going to do is found here in verse 16 down to verse 18. Let's read it, Nehemiah four. From that day on, half of my servants worked on construction and half held the spears, shields, bows and coats of mail. And the leaders stood behind the whole house of Judah who were building on the wall.

Those who carried burdens were loaded in such a way that each labored on the work with one hand and held his weapon with the other. And each of the builders had his sword strapped at his side while he built. The man who sounded the trumpet was beside me. The first thing that this wonderful man of God exemplifies for us here in preparation for what could come down and around the corner is that he remained spiritually armed and ready. He remains spiritually armed and ready.

That's the illustration. This is actual weaponry. This is actual warfare. This is physical combat, but we're supposed to see this with new covenant eyes. So yes, he is physically armed and ready, but the lesson is we must be spiritually armed and ready at all times.

From that day on, very important words. There's a strategy change here with with Nehemiah. After experiencing this unpleasant encounter with Sanballat and Tobiah, he knew that he could not remain the same. This was no game. Serving God is not easy.

If you're serious about it, Satan will take you seriously. And so what does he do? Well, he makes this alteration. He divides the people in half. He takes 50% of his workers and submits them into the security ministry.

So half of you now are actually gonna be on guard surveying, surrounding, watching in case anything looms on the horizon. And even the ones who remained on the construction site, Nehemiah gives them all their own weapon. Now I want you to understand the inconvenience of this. Could they get more done if 100% of the volunteers were dedicated to working at the at the wall? Yes.

Of course. But now you've cut your manpower by half. And on top of that, you put more weight on the ones who need their hands in knee mobility to actually build. They got all this weaponry on them. So that's an inconvenience on top of everything else.

So it's not hard to imagine how somebody under Nehemiah's leadership at this moment would think to themselves and maybe even express, is this really necessary? Do we really need to be so prepared? Look. They're gone. We don't hear them.

We haven't received any dangerous email for some time now. No threat. No sketchy people coming into Jerusalem. Why don't we just focus on the wall? And it is necessary.

Nehemiah shows us here that things can change quickly. And it can be sunny one day, and you blink and you see the clouds now collecting together and a storm is brewing. So what does he do? He takes preparatory measures to more effectively withstand unexpected events. There is no immediate danger, but Nehemiah understands that it can come any second.

So be ready. And what this man of God does here is very instructive for us. It teaches us how to do spiritual warfare well. And unfortunately, for many, they don't understand that there is a requirement to be prepared in advance, not just to run to your Bible and to prayer in the moment of crisis, but to develop a reservoir, a defense system, the ability to know how to wield the sword of the spirit before you actually need to use it. That is the application here.

Be ready at all times. Don't just develop a prayer life when there's an emergency. Don't comb through your Bible just when you need a promise to keep you going on a particular day. Strap it to your side starting now. One of my favorite examples of this is something that we've explored before when David was removed from his throne because his son decided to rebel against him, convinced the entire nation to abandon their allegiance to King David, and so he flees into the wilderness in his older years.

In a moment's notice, he didn't have time to pack. He didn't have time to have a conversation with Absalom. He had to go the very second he learned that Absalom has turned everybody against you. And you read the account of that in Psalm chapter three, the account of his response to it before God. The actual account is found there in second Samuel.

And what I love about Psalm chapter three is what David says in verse three. He says, but you, oh lord, are shield about me, my glory and the lifter of my head. Now David is a poet, not just a poet. He's a prophetic poet. He is sensitive to the Holy Spirit.

And so naturally, we would think that when he says these three things about the Lord, there was something that he experienced by inspiration in that very moment. I'm not convinced of that, at least with the first description that he grants to the Lord. But you, oh Lord, are a shield about me. Where did you get that idea from? Where did you get that metaphor from?

Was it while you're walking barefoot in the wilderness? Was it something that the spirit of God opened your mind to in that moment? No. I believe it's something that David knew about from the scriptures. Because the first time such a metaphor is ascribed to the Lord is in Genesis 15 verse one.

Listen to what God said to Abraham in Genesis 15 verse one. After these things, the word of the Lord came to Abraham in a vision, fear not, Abram. I am your shield. Your reward shall be very great. And didn't stop with Abraham.

Moses took this very description and applied it to the entire nation. Says here in Deuteronomy Deuteronomy 33 verse 29, happy are you, oh Israel, who is like you, a people saved by the Lord, the shield of your health. Was David passionate about the word of God? He wasn't passionate. He was obsessed.

He delighted in the law. And I'm convinced that this man who is so deeply rooted in the scriptures Took what God had revealed on himself to Abraham, took what Moses said to the people of Israel and applied it for his own life. Lord, if you were a shield for Abraham, if you were a shield for Israel, surely you are my shield. Did Abraham make many mistakes? Yes.

He did. Did Israel fumble the ball on more than one occasion? Absolutely. And yet God still promised to be their shield. And here's David experiencing some measure of consequence from his own sin, trying to manage this catastrophic occurrence with his own son.

And he chooses to reach down deep in his heart, and he says, oh, God, you are my shield. Where did he get that from? The Bible. And you can't tell me that David, in that moment, as he tried to make sense what was happening, asked for one of his assistants to pull out a scroll from Genesis or Deuteronomy to find that reference. I suggest to you that it was lodged in his heart.

He's in the desert when he is making these claims. When he is penning these words, he was on the run, but he was ready. He was ready. If I can use the imagery from Nehemiah, he had his sword strapped to his side. So lately, learning about this, knowing this, thinking and reflecting on my own life, I had to ask myself, and maybe you can ask yourself this too.

What scriptures do I have memorized that I can wield in a moment, in an emergency, when I get an unexpected phone call, when I have to rush to the emergency room? What is ready on my tongue? And just trying to deal with that on my own life. And it could be a Psalm, it could be a chapter, it can be a large portion of scripture, but it can also be little bullets in verses, just singular verses that carry dynamite power. Start there.

May I suggest? One of my favorite ones is Isaiah 50 verse 10. Who among you fears the Lord and obeys the voice of his servant? Let him who walks in darkness and has no light trust in the name of the Lord and rely on his God. That's the kind of stuff that causes Satan to flee.

That's the kind of power that silences temptation. That's the kind of force that can infuse life into a weary soul on the other end of that line who needs a word from God. Because you have been spiritually armed and ready, you can wage good warfare. This is what we see here with this man of God and those who are trusting in his leadership. But there's a second thing that he does here in verse 19 down to verse 20.

Let's read it together. Nehemiah four verse 19. And I said to the nobles and to the officials and to the rest of the people, The work is great and widely spread, and we are separated on the wall far from one another. In the place where you hear the sound of the trumpet rally to us there, our God will fight for us. The second adjustment that Nehemiah makes is based on the observation that this work of rebuilding the walls is an expansive one.

And naturally, though unintentionally, it would cause these different workers to be isolated from one another. We looked at just how large this gate was when we examined chapter three. And so you have some here in the North, some in the South, some in the Northeast, Southwest. They're dispersed. And Nehemiah understands the danger of this so he sets up a system.

It's a very simple one. We read earlier in verse 18 that he would have somebody who was in charge of the trumpet, and he would be by his side at all times. And at Nehemiah's command, whenever he would sense that it was necessary, if there was actual danger, he would have the trumpet sound and the people would come and rally together at the meeting spot where that alarm was set. What does this teach us about Nehemiah's understanding of warfare? Well, the second thing that it shows us here is that we in order for us to be better prepared, even while we're enjoying times of peace, In order for us for us to be ready for potential attacks, we have to, point number two, stay, very important words, stay genuinely connected to the body.

Genuinely connected to the body. And I emphasize genuinely because people have their own subjective understandings of what it means to be connected to the local church. I'm talking about real investment, real community, actual communication with other people who are also serving the Lord. Nehemiah knew the value protection of remaining in touch with others who are doing just that. And and the demonstration of his leadership is instructive especially for overseers, leaders here, those who are aspiring to be elders especially.

Nehemiah demonstrates and illustrates here that in great part, it is our responsibility to to facilitate a sense of unity among the people of God. To create that kind of environment to set up your ministry in such a way where people experience the blessing of not just hearing what you have to say, but being connected to other Christians. Because like the workers here in this chapter, we are generally throughout the week scattered. Are we not? We're not always together.

I I know some would like that. We're not. But if I may speak on behalf of this church, in our context, we sound the alarm at least three times a week. We sound it every Wednesday night. You heard it tonight because you're here.

And certainly, we do it every Sunday on the Lord's day. And from time to time, we have additional trumpet calls with activities or events. Moreover, it's our conviction through official membership that you would be provided an even greater sense of being a part of something that is real, where you can know your leadership in a more intimate way, where you can know members of this church and serve them and be served by them. But as much as it is the responsibility of leaders of a local church to create that kind of a space, each of you have a responsibility to respond to that invitation. Nehemiah has the trumpet, has the plan laid out.

But look again at verse 20, what he commands. He says, in the place where you hear the sound of the trumpet, rally to us there. Our God will fight for us. In other words, this implies that they could have ignored the trumpet call. They could have dismissed it.

They could have just remained where they were and worked on what they were working on, thinking that it wasn't important to actually answer when the call came for the brethren to come together in one place at one time to be mutually encouraging on the same page. In all my years of serving the Lord, I have never seen a single example of somebody being better off when they disconnect from a healthy local church. Have you? I'd love to hear about it. Never.

On the other hand, I have learned both from scripture and by way of observation that the most consistent Christians are those who place a high priority on the local church. I thought to myself earlier today, Paul. You know, Paul doesn't even seem human sometimes when you read his stuff. When you trace his steps in the book of acts, you're just amazed at his movements. I mean, this man has been stoned how many times?

Whipped how many times? Shipwrecked how many times? I mean, all it takes is for some people is to get a discouraging message online and they're ready to throw in the towel. Not this man. And yet this amazing apostle over and over again shows us how he was dependent upon the local church.

One of my first studies as a born again believer was looking at Paul's prayer request throughout the New Testament. Because here I am freshly saved looking at this amazing man of God and realizing how this giant in the faith is calling for the spiritual support of weaker Christians. Is he just presenting a false humility there? No. He meant it.

And one of those prayers came to mind in preparation for this Bible study. I'd love for you to see it with me in Romans chapter 15 because he makes three requests There in Romans 15 to the Christians in Rome, and in it we see just how much he treasured the church, the local church, not just the universal church, but the local church. Look at Romans 15 with me in verse 30. He writes, I appeal to you brothers by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the spirit to strive together with me in your prayers to God on my behalf. And here are the requests beginning in verse 31.

Number one, that I may be delivered from the unbelievers in Judah, Judea. Number two, and that my service for Jerusalem may be acceptable to the saints. And lastly, verse 32, so that by God's will, I may come to you with joy and be refreshed in your company. So Paul is about to make way to Jerusalem and he understands by way of the Holy Spirit that it's not going to be easy. It's gonna be a battle.

His enemies are waiting for him there. There might be some hesitation from the believers in Jerusalem to receive the gift that he was planning to give them there. And so he's asking these believers in Rome, oh, would you ask the Lord to make my mission successful? And lastly, he wants to be united with these Christians in Rome because after going through the warfare that he anticipates, he knows that he will find physical and more importantly spiritual revitalization in the company of these Christians in Rome. Notice, he's asking for their prayers, but in Paul's estimation, the prayers of Christians at a distance are not enough.

Are prayers important? Yes. Is there power intercession? Absolutely. Do we help one another when we seek the Lord and combine our faith in that very holy act?

You better believe it. But what is Paul demonstrating here? I need face to face contact. I need to be with you, and here's this incredible servant of the lord, this missionary confessing, I will be refreshed in your company. So pray that God would make it happen.

I wonder if you feel the same. And when you come to where God's people gather, you crave it. Because though an imperfect church, if a church is set on striving unto perfection, God will be in that place, and God will surely, through that church, refresh your spirit and use you as a means to refresh others. You wanna be prepared for battles, unforeseen skirmishes, surprise attacks, you must know how to rally with other believers on a regular basis. You walk away from that, it's as foolish as staying by your wall when Nehemiah says, let's all come together because things are about to happen potentially, thinking that you can actually deal with the enemy of your soul on your own.

One more thing that Nehemiah does, it's here in verse 21 down to verse 23. Nehemiah four verse 21. So we labored at the work, and half of them held the spears from the break of dawn until the stars came out. I also said to the people at that time, let every man and his servant pass the night within Jerusalem that they may be a guard for us by night and may labor by day. So neither I nor my brothers nor my servants nor the men of the guard who followed me, none of us took off our clothes.

Each kept his weapon at his right hand. Nehemiah does one final thing to help us understand how we can maximize seasons of stillness while also being more prepared for spiritual attacks tomorrow. And what I see here, though, there are many things that we can say is that he inspires others through his example. But the actual point is this. You and I must inspire others by our example in every season, in every season.

I'll explain here in a moment. As I said earlier, it's very, very easy for us to become droopy or distracted when things are calm, when things become easier, when being a Christian is just a cultural thing. It's in the air. Right? Nehemiah refused to allow that to happen.

In fact, he calls for greater sacrifice. What does he do here? He he asked the people to not go back home, but to stay in Jerusalem overnight. Remember back in chapter three, we learned that those who came to help with the wall were not just from within Jerusalem. They were from the outskirts.

They were from the surrounding areas and regions, and so a lot of them commuted. And so with that background in mind, when we come to these instructions, it makes more sense. What Nehemiah is demanding of those who are serving in this way, who are already giving up so much to make it happen is even more commitment. I'm asking you to sleep here so that by night, we are more secure and that we don't waste any valuable time traveling to and fro. Let's take advantage of this open window and let us work.

And they respond willingly. And it made me wonder that perhaps one reason why Nehemiah was successful with this proposal was because what he asked of others, he was willing to do himself. Look again at verse 23. So neither I nor my brothers, nor my servants, nor the men of the guard who followed me, none of us took off our clothes, each kept his weapon at his right hand. This man is a governor.

This man could have used the excuse that he was the overseer. He was the manager of this whole thing. And so he could have tucked himself away in some comfortable place. He doesn't do anything of the sort. What he asked of the people, he modeled himself.

He didn't even change the clothes of his on his back. He stayed in the same outfit, and he got in the same kind of sleeping bag as the others and remained overnight in Jerusalem as long as it took. If you're sitting here tonight and your heart burns within you because you long to see other Christians more passionate, more sacrificial, more committed to their ministry, to the local church, to the cause of Christ, to evangelism, whatever it is that you're passionate about may suggest something, the best thing that you can do is walk in it yourself. At least the first thing that you can do, that is especially true for leaders. If there is any superior who had the right to demand without doing or without participating, it's the lord Jesus Christ Christ himself.

He's God. If he makes a command, who are we to say but or what about? He's a sovereign one. And yet even Christ himself reveals to us that there is a power in modeling something before asking others to imitate it or pursue it themselves. You remember Jesus's words when he astonishingly got on his knees in that upper room in John 13 and began to wash the feet of the disciples?

Let me read to you what he said to them in John chapter 13 verse 15. For I have given you an example that you also should do just as I have done to you. Let me ask you something. Does does Christ have the prerogative? Does he does he possess the authority to sit in the upper room and look at the disciples and say, I I want you guys to all wash your each other's feet.

Sure he does. He's the commander in chief, but he does something far greater than that. He first did it, then asked them to do it themselves. Nehemiah here in wanting these other people under his care, working side by side To utilize the grace that they've been given and to be prepared for tomorrow inspires them by his example. And speaking of our precious lord and savior Jesus Christ, as we come to a close here, I wanna suggest to you that even in this text, in this chapter as a whole, in this book, we can find Jesus Christ.

Let me give you one way of seeing Christ in this. I see Jesus Christ, who in hearing the distress and the ruin of the people of Judah, did not remain and stay in a palace, but removed himself from that station of glory and chooses to meet those who are in destitution and in danger. And not only to come and meet with them, but to also remain to remain with them as we see here. That as they now trust in this plan of restoration and redemption, Nehemiah as a leader chooses to fight with them and fight for them. Do we not see that here?

Nehemiah is a wonderful leader, is willing to actually go to war and lead the charge and help those who are indeed of need of great help. Christ himself is with us in our trouble, is with us in our warfare, is with us as we try to subdue the impulses of the flesh and try to extinguish the darts of the evil one. He's with us. But, oh, may I add one more thing? That we see here that Nehemiah sounds a trumpet that will rally the people together.

And as Christians, we too are expecting a trumpet sound. Are we not? We are. And according to first Thessalonians chapter four that one day Christ himself will come. And with his coming will be many sounds and including in those wonderful experiences will be the sound of the trumpet of God.

And when that trumpet sound goes off, we will rally together, not temporarily, but permanently. And we will be with him forever. And he will deal with our enemies permanently once and for all. And we will enjoy the new Jerusalem for all of eternity. So even in this, I wanna present to you the lord Jesus Christ.

He's the greater Nehemiah. But for now, my dear precious brother and sister, we have a duty. That is to remain spiritually armed and ready. That is to remain genuinely connected to the body that God and his providence has led us to. And lastly, to inspire others to remain the course by living wholeheartedly ourselves and trusting that demonstration in great part is more persuasive than demands.

And God will fight for us in amazing ways when we just make these simple steps ourselves. Can we rejoice in that together? Let's thank him. Lord, we thank you that you have given us three installments in this one chapter. Your word is inexhaustible.

Your wisdom is so deep. And, Lord, we thank you for it. Thank you for this Bible study. Thank you for this church that desires to be an army. Thank you for the sincerity of the worship and the fellowship and the longing to know deep things in God.

Lord, we pray that we would not squander the peace that we get to enjoy in this great nation. We pray that as we have transitioned into this new phase as a ministry that you would enable us to take our ministries even more seriously, that we would invest even more heart and more prayer, more time into what you've called us to do in our giftings. We thank you for this body. Maybe we never fall into the trap of ignoring the trumpet call, especially on the Lord's day. To cherish it and to believe like Paul that there's refreshment every time we gather in it.

And so Lord, we are eternally thankful that you've given us Maranatha Bible Church. May you continue to be in our midst. May you, like this group here, fight for us and go before us in all our plans and all our desires. And may we never fail like Nehemiah shows us here to give you the glory for it all. We ask these things in Jesus' name.

Amen and amen. He's the greater Nehemiah. Let's stand and honor him and give him glory.