WEBVTT 00:00:00.160 --> 00:00:04.959 Well, thanks for joining us for week four of this series that we've been in titled Called to This. 00:00:05.200 --> 00:00:18.800 Now, let me, in the most loving way I know how, encourage you that if you haven't watched the first three messages in this series, to go ahead and pause this video right now and to go back and to start with whatever messages that you have not completed. 00:00:18.879 --> 00:00:27.120 And the reason is we don't have time right now to recap all that we've talked about, but suffice it to say, this entire series is about this idea of calling. 00:00:27.199 --> 00:00:34.640 And what we believe personally is that if you know Jesus, then every single follower of Jesus has a calling. 00:00:34.799 --> 00:00:56.320 And so the first three weeks of the series, we walk through that idea of everyone has a calling and then figuring out what is my calling, and then sometimes just this idea that, hey, my calling may not be this grand plan, it may not change the world, at least from what I can tell, but sometimes our calling is just doing the average, ordinary work that God has right in front of us. 00:00:56.560 --> 00:01:02.799 And so I would encourage you to go back and to watch those three messages because today we're just going to jump right into this last message. 00:01:02.880 --> 00:01:22.239 And here's the idea for today's message, and that is this that if you are obedient to God's calling for you, no matter how grand, no matter if it's a leadership position or it's just the average, ordinary day-to-day tasks that you do already, whatever it is, if you are obedient to God's calling on your life, then here's what you need to know. 00:01:22.400 --> 00:01:25.040 You need to expect opposition. 00:01:25.439 --> 00:01:39.120 If you are obedient to God's calling, then you need to understand that just because God reveals to me what it is that He has for me, and I agree to that and I walk in obedience to that, that does not mean that the path ahead is sunshine and rainbows. 00:01:39.200 --> 00:01:44.560 It does not mean that here on earth those streets are paved with gold and it's an easy road to walk. 00:01:44.719 --> 00:01:50.400 Instead, if you are obedient to your calling, then you need to expect opposition. 00:01:50.640 --> 00:02:05.040 And the reason that we say this is that in this series we've been walking through this book of the Bible titled Nehemiah, but it's about a man who God raises up, who has a calling for Nehemiah's life, and it moves him to action. 00:02:05.280 --> 00:02:15.280 But what we see in chapter four, and again we saw this a little bit in chapter two, is that when you walk in this calling, that does not mean that you will not face opposition. 00:02:15.360 --> 00:02:17.039 Instead, you should expect it. 00:02:17.280 --> 00:02:26.800 And so the background is that Nehemiah and the Jews, the people of God, that he returned to Jerusalem to inspire and to encourage to do this work. 00:02:27.199 --> 00:02:29.840 The reality is that they faced opposition. 00:02:30.000 --> 00:02:32.479 And we'll see this in detail in chapter four. 00:02:32.719 --> 00:02:42.560 But to summarize is that we see these three guys mentioned by name in chapter two, and they pop up repeatedly throughout the book of Nehemiah. 00:02:42.719 --> 00:02:50.000 They are referred to and they are known as Sanbalat the Horonite, Tobiah the Ammonite, and Geshem the Arab. 00:02:50.240 --> 00:02:58.319 And what we need to understand about these men is these are not just made-up characters, that these men were governors of the lands that surrounded Jerusalem. 00:02:58.479 --> 00:03:10.319 So you don't have to be a geography expert to know that Jerusalem is kind of in the center and they're surrounded by other nations or the remnants of other nations, and they are surrounded by other people groups of different languages and cultures and practices. 00:03:10.479 --> 00:03:15.039 But these men, San Balat, Tobi, and Geshem, they were the governors of these lands. 00:03:15.199 --> 00:03:17.439 They were the men of influence and power. 00:03:17.680 --> 00:03:25.120 And so what happens is when Nehemiah shows up to inspire and encourage the work to be done in Jerusalem, it did a couple things. 00:03:25.360 --> 00:03:28.560 Number one is that it threatened the balance of power. 00:03:28.719 --> 00:03:33.919 And the reason is that these three governors, they have influence in the land, they have power in the land. 00:03:34.080 --> 00:03:39.120 They could charge taxes, they could control the goods, they could manage the land. 00:03:39.280 --> 00:03:44.240 And when you add Nehemiah, who becomes the governor of Judah, you add another governor to the mix. 00:03:44.319 --> 00:03:45.120 Well, guess what? 00:03:45.280 --> 00:03:47.439 Now that means less power for me. 00:03:47.599 --> 00:03:56.479 It also threatened their political influence because they had political influence over the territories that they governed, but they also had influence with the king, and they would have correspondence with the king. 00:03:56.560 --> 00:04:02.400 They were hired and entrusted by the king to exercise jurisdiction over these places. 00:04:02.560 --> 00:04:05.520 And so when Nehemiah shows up, it threatens a balance of power. 00:04:05.599 --> 00:04:09.199 Now you have one more person, one more slice of the pie, so to speak. 00:04:09.360 --> 00:04:11.759 It threatened their political influence. 00:04:12.080 --> 00:04:14.479 And lastly, we understand how this works today. 00:04:14.639 --> 00:04:16.240 It threatened their bank accounts. 00:04:16.399 --> 00:04:24.000 Because when you had jurisdiction over a region, that meant that you had control and say so over the goods, over the money, over the taxes. 00:04:24.240 --> 00:04:33.360 And so when Nehemiah shows up, we need to understand that Nehemiah is doing what God has called him to do, and he encourages the people of Judah to rebuild the wall. 00:04:33.519 --> 00:04:42.079 But to these governors of surrounding nations, we have to understand that they saw Nehemiah and the people of Judah as a threat. 00:04:42.399 --> 00:04:52.240 We said this at our live book location in week two when we see these three men show up, and we see this that we've said in all along in the series that calling is birthed out of a burden. 00:04:52.399 --> 00:04:58.160 But what happens is this burden that God gives you, at some point, this burden becomes your passion. 00:04:58.319 --> 00:05:03.920 And your passion for what God has given to you, your passion infects the people around you. 00:05:04.000 --> 00:05:22.639 And we saw that with Nehemiah, that his burden to do what God had called them to do as a nation, that he believed that God would gather and restore this nation of Israel because of the promises that he made to Abraham, that this passion infected the people, inspired the people, and their hands were strengthened to do the work. 00:05:22.959 --> 00:05:26.319 But we also see that passion attracts critics. 00:05:26.480 --> 00:05:29.920 And that's where we jump into in chapter four of Nehemiah. 00:05:30.000 --> 00:05:44.879 And the question I want us to ask that kind of frames this chapter, at least for us in 2026 as modern day Americans, as we read through this chapter, here's the question I want us to ask, and it's this How do I respond when I face opposition? 00:05:45.120 --> 00:05:50.399 If I'm obedient to what God's called me to, if I have clarity, I know for sure what God's calling me to do. 00:05:50.560 --> 00:05:56.399 What do I do, and how do I respond when I face opposition to what God has called me to do? 00:05:56.639 --> 00:06:00.399 So with that question in mind, let's read in Nehemiah chapter 4, starting in verse 1. 00:06:00.480 --> 00:06:01.040 This is what we read. 00:06:01.199 --> 00:06:07.120 When Sanbalat heard that we were rebuilding the wall, that's chapter 3, by the way, he became furious. 00:06:07.279 --> 00:06:07.519 Why? 00:06:07.680 --> 00:06:10.879 Because now this is a threat to all of the things that we've mentioned. 00:06:11.120 --> 00:06:20.160 He mocked the Jews before his colleagues and the powerful men of Samaria and said, So these are the mockings that he said, what are these pathetic Jews doing? 00:06:20.480 --> 00:06:22.480 Can they restore it by themselves? 00:06:22.639 --> 00:06:24.240 Will they offer sacrifices? 00:06:24.399 --> 00:06:25.680 Will they ever finish it? 00:06:25.839 --> 00:06:29.519 Can they bring these burnt stones back to life from the mounds of rubble? 00:06:29.759 --> 00:06:35.199 And then Tobiah, one of these other governors, the Ammonite, who was beside him, this is his criticism. 00:06:35.279 --> 00:06:42.800 And he says, Indeed, even if a fox climbed up on the wall, remember, the people have labored to begin to rebuild the wall. 00:06:42.959 --> 00:06:46.800 And what Tobiah says is, Well, even if a fox climbs on it, it's going to fall down. 00:06:47.040 --> 00:06:49.279 He would break down their stone wall. 00:06:49.519 --> 00:07:00.240 When the walls start going up, we've seen these men in Nehemiah chapter 2, when the walls start going up physically, now the work is being done, these men show back up. 00:07:00.480 --> 00:07:00.800 Why? 00:07:00.959 --> 00:07:04.639 Because when you walk in your calling, you can expect opposition. 00:07:04.800 --> 00:07:14.639 You can expect that whenever God calls you and He gives you clarity in what to do, you should expect that at some point when you are doing the work, the opposition will show up. 00:07:14.879 --> 00:07:29.360 And in Nehemiah chapter 4, the way it shows up is through these governors who are threatened and furious by the work that's being done, but it shows up, and here's what happens is that at first this opposition begins with humiliation. 00:07:29.680 --> 00:07:40.000 It begins with words, these targeted words, these insults that are thrown at these men and these women, these people who are rebuilding the wall. 00:07:40.240 --> 00:07:42.959 The opposition here takes the form of humiliation. 00:07:43.120 --> 00:07:46.560 Some of the things that they say, they refer to them as pathetic Jews. 00:07:47.120 --> 00:07:50.560 They question, are they actually capable of doing this? 00:07:50.800 --> 00:07:54.240 Are they actually going to be able to complete it? 00:07:54.319 --> 00:07:58.959 Maybe they say it like this, that their ambitions are bigger than their abilities. 00:07:59.199 --> 00:08:02.560 And then this question of, yeah, but it won't last. 00:08:03.040 --> 00:08:15.279 And so these insults, these phrases, these words are heaped up, and it was meant to destroy the mental side and the emotional side and the work ethic of the people. 00:08:15.360 --> 00:08:23.279 As they hear these insults, the hope was that they would be humiliated and that they would be discouraged in their work. 00:08:23.680 --> 00:08:25.040 Here's what I would say to you. 00:08:25.199 --> 00:08:30.800 I would say to you that if you have a clear path of what God's calling you to do, then you should expect opposition. 00:08:30.959 --> 00:08:35.679 And honestly, for some of you watching this, maybe you do have a sense of what God's called you to do. 00:08:35.840 --> 00:08:38.159 Maybe you do have enough life experience. 00:08:38.320 --> 00:08:46.159 And here's what I would say to you is that maybe some of these criticisms strike a nerve with you because this isn't the first time that you've heard similar comments. 00:08:46.639 --> 00:08:52.080 Some of you maybe have heard these similar sentiments from a coworker. 00:08:52.320 --> 00:08:55.679 Maybe is their ambitions are bigger than their abilities. 00:08:55.919 --> 00:09:05.440 Or maybe for some of you you've heard this from a classmate, a classmate that says you are pathetic and you aren't capable of doing what you say that you want to do. 00:09:05.600 --> 00:09:12.159 Maybe for some of you you've heard this from a boss or an ex, or maybe you've heard this from a parent or a family member. 00:09:12.320 --> 00:09:21.360 That there's this clear path that God has called you to, and yet that path, even though it's God's calling for you, has been met with these words of humiliation. 00:09:21.759 --> 00:09:28.720 Here's what I would encourage you is to say, well, how do I respond when the opposition is meant to humiliate me? 00:09:28.960 --> 00:09:33.039 Well, the good news is I think we can draw encouragement from how Nehemiah responds. 00:09:33.200 --> 00:09:34.720 Look in verse 4. 00:09:34.960 --> 00:09:41.279 Verse 4, it doesn't say that Nehemiah prayed, but we clearly understand that these words that he's offering, this is his prayer. 00:09:41.519 --> 00:09:47.360 Nehemiah chapter 4, verse 4, this is Nehemiah saying, he says, Listen our God, for we are despised. 00:09:47.519 --> 00:09:52.080 We are taunted, we are scorned, we are made fun of, we are humiliated. 00:09:52.480 --> 00:10:04.000 So what Nehemiah does is instead of engaging with the verbal conflict, is he prays and he asks God to listen, and I believe he's asking God to listen because of what he and the people have heard. 00:10:04.320 --> 00:10:05.600 For we are despised. 00:10:05.759 --> 00:10:06.879 God, this is what's going on. 00:10:07.039 --> 00:10:11.039 We are humiliated, and so he takes his requests to God. 00:10:11.519 --> 00:10:13.600 And his prayer is, God, we are despised. 00:10:13.679 --> 00:10:16.159 So I'm asking you to listen to my cry for help. 00:10:16.320 --> 00:10:21.679 Make their insults return on their own heads, and let them be taken as plundered to a land of captivity. 00:10:21.840 --> 00:10:26.480 Do not cover their guilt or let their sin be erased from your sight, because they have angered the builders. 00:10:26.639 --> 00:10:35.759 Here's what we see that Nehemiah's response when people are hurling insults, when their opposition looks like humiliation, Nehemiah's response is that he prays. 00:10:35.840 --> 00:10:40.559 Here's what I would say to us he doesn't post about it, he doesn't engage with it. 00:10:40.720 --> 00:10:49.600 There's no context or commentary here that he speaks back to defend his honor or to feel the need to reply to all of these inserts, these insults. 00:10:49.759 --> 00:10:55.919 Instead, he prays, he doesn't post about it, he doesn't engage it, he doesn't make passive aggressive comments to other people about it. 00:10:56.080 --> 00:10:57.519 Instead, he simply prays. 00:10:57.600 --> 00:11:05.840 And his prayer is, God, hear my cry, and I'm asking you to do to them what you see fit, because I am not getting consumed in that. 00:11:05.919 --> 00:11:08.960 And here's the second thing that we see in verse 6 it says this. 00:11:09.200 --> 00:11:10.639 So, how do we respond? 00:11:10.799 --> 00:11:16.399 When people humiliate us, when people oppose us and the work that God's called us to do, how did he respond? 00:11:16.639 --> 00:11:20.080 Verse 6, so we rebuilt the wall until the entire wall was joined together. 00:11:20.240 --> 00:11:21.279 You know what that means? 00:11:21.519 --> 00:11:28.399 It means that even though insults were flying, they were being humiliated with the words, they didn't stop doing what God had called them to do. 00:11:28.720 --> 00:11:34.480 So we rebuilt the wall until the entire wall was joined together up to half its height, for the people had the will to keep working. 00:11:34.960 --> 00:11:41.360 Here's what we have said throughout the series is that God calls and positions his people for his purposes. 00:11:41.600 --> 00:11:45.919 The opposition is ultimately not opposition to you. 00:11:46.720 --> 00:11:53.919 For Nehemiah, the words were directed to them, but the opposition was to the work that God had called them to do. 00:11:54.639 --> 00:12:10.240 And so rather, the opposition, even though it was hurled at Nehemiah and the people, we have to understand that perspective allows us to understand that the opposition was ultimately not really about them, it was about the work that God had called them to do. 00:12:10.399 --> 00:12:11.200 Why does that matter? 00:12:11.360 --> 00:12:12.480 Because here's what I would say to you. 00:12:12.559 --> 00:12:23.759 If you face opposition in the form of humiliation, these verbal attacks, here's my encouragement to you is that personal attacks lose their sting when I remember that my calling is not about me. 00:12:24.399 --> 00:12:33.279 Is that personal attacks, they may sting for a minute, but they lose their sting when I remember that the opposition is not ultimately about me, even though I stand in the way. 00:12:33.519 --> 00:12:38.320 Is that the ultimate opposition is that they are opposing what God has called me to do. 00:12:38.480 --> 00:12:44.480 And when I remember that it is God who has called me to do this work, I can continue to work even through the stings of the insults. 00:12:44.799 --> 00:12:50.320 Because those insults and those personal attacks begin to lose their sting, that this really isn't about me in the first place. 00:12:50.399 --> 00:12:52.559 This is about what God's called me to do. 00:12:53.120 --> 00:12:55.200 And so in verse 7, here's what we see. 00:12:55.440 --> 00:12:59.279 We see that the insults don't stop the work, so then they take it up a notch. 00:12:59.360 --> 00:13:01.279 In verse 7, now they begin to conspire. 00:13:01.440 --> 00:13:14.320 When Sanbalat Tobiah and the Arabs, the Ammonites, the Ashdodites heard that the repair of the walls of Jerusalem were progressing, in other words, that my humiliation didn't stop the work, and that the gaps were being closed, they became furious. 00:13:14.480 --> 00:13:17.120 Their tactic failed, so now they take it up a notch. 00:13:17.279 --> 00:13:23.440 So in verse eight, they all plotted together to come and fight against Jerusalem and to throw it into confusion. 00:13:23.679 --> 00:13:25.600 So now the tactics change. 00:13:25.759 --> 00:13:35.120 The tactics were we're going to verbally abuse these people, try to humiliate them and to doubt their work, to question their work, to question that they can even complete the task in the first place. 00:13:35.279 --> 00:13:36.159 So that didn't work. 00:13:36.240 --> 00:13:38.320 So now let's just go attack the city. 00:13:38.480 --> 00:13:43.519 When we attack the city physically, it will throw the city into confusion and the work will stop. 00:13:43.759 --> 00:13:44.320 Why? 00:13:44.720 --> 00:13:46.879 Because no workers means there's no work. 00:13:47.120 --> 00:13:56.159 Now they decide, hey, we will attack the workers, and if their lives are threatened and we kill some of the workers, then there's not enough workers or there's not enough morale to complete the work. 00:13:56.559 --> 00:13:58.000 It ratchets up a notch. 00:13:58.080 --> 00:13:59.679 So how do you respond in this moment? 00:14:00.320 --> 00:14:01.440 Look in verse nine. 00:14:01.759 --> 00:14:08.720 This is Nehemiah and the people's response when they hear that now their enemies are conspiring to physically attack them. 00:14:08.960 --> 00:14:10.720 In verse 9, this is what we read. 00:14:10.960 --> 00:14:15.919 So we prayed to our God and stationed a guard because of them day and night. 00:14:16.399 --> 00:14:17.440 You see a pattern here? 00:14:17.600 --> 00:14:26.399 Then Nehemiah's response to opposition is always first and foremost to pray and to intercede on behalf of his countrymen and to say, God, we need your help. 00:14:26.639 --> 00:14:29.039 God, I know that you have called us to this work. 00:14:29.200 --> 00:14:32.639 I know that this opposition is in response to the work that you have called me to. 00:14:32.799 --> 00:14:35.759 And so his response is, God, we need your help. 00:14:36.000 --> 00:14:39.039 And this is the pattern of Nehemiah, that he prays to God. 00:14:39.200 --> 00:14:42.720 But he doesn't just pray, he's also not stupid about it. 00:14:42.799 --> 00:14:49.120 He has a plan about it, and so he prays and asks God for his help, and they station a guard because of them. 00:14:49.360 --> 00:15:01.919 In other words, they say, Well, if this is their plan, like we're going to pray and we're going to ultimately trust God for his protection and his provision, but we're also not going to be dumb enough to leave ourselves vulnerable, so we station people around the wall who can defend us and guard us. 00:15:02.159 --> 00:15:03.440 But look what happens in verse 10. 00:15:03.519 --> 00:15:05.039 This is a very interesting comment. 00:15:05.279 --> 00:15:16.399 In Judah, it was said, this is the land of the people where they're rebuilding, the strength of the laborer fails, since there is so much rubble, we will never be able to rebuild the wall. 00:15:16.639 --> 00:15:25.039 I think we need to understand here is that verse 10 is that the people begin to doubt their ability to complete the task that God has given them. 00:15:25.200 --> 00:15:36.159 And we have to see this in connection with the insults that are hurled in the first few verses, is that at some point we can begin to believe the lies that are hurled at us from the enemy, from the opposition. 00:15:36.399 --> 00:15:44.480 And so what we see is that whenever the threat is escalated, that now we're going to attack the people, is that we see that their morale was lowered. 00:15:44.639 --> 00:15:50.159 We see that their momentum was in many ways stalled or halted. 00:15:50.480 --> 00:15:57.600 That the people of Judah even begin to question, maybe they're right, maybe we can't do this, or maybe it's not worth it because we're going to be attacked. 00:15:57.840 --> 00:16:02.799 The threats of these governors and these men began to erode the confidence of the workers. 00:16:02.960 --> 00:16:04.879 Their strength began to fail. 00:16:05.039 --> 00:16:05.519 Why? 00:16:05.759 --> 00:16:09.039 Because their perspective on the work began to change. 00:16:09.440 --> 00:16:12.399 In Nehemiah chapter 2, it says that their hands were strengthened. 00:16:12.559 --> 00:16:14.000 Let's rebuild the wall. 00:16:14.159 --> 00:16:29.519 But in the face of opposition, their strength began to fail because their perspective shifted from the God who called them to work and the work that they were tasked with, and their perspective was now they are looking at the threats and the opposition and the enemies around them. 00:16:29.759 --> 00:16:42.320 And because of the threats, because their perspective focused on not no longer the task involved, but the enemies around them, their perspective and their focus shifted, and they began to believe the lies. 00:16:42.399 --> 00:16:45.440 They began to believe the insults that were hurled at them. 00:16:45.679 --> 00:16:47.440 And here's what I would say to us. 00:16:47.679 --> 00:16:52.879 I'm not doubting and I'm not downplaying that this is a very real reality for us. 00:16:53.120 --> 00:16:58.080 Is that if you walk in what God has called you to do, then you will face opposition. 00:16:58.240 --> 00:17:14.480 And sometimes the momentum that we have, the strength that we begin this journey with in the middle roads, when things get rocky and things get hard, when threats are escalated, when when opposition seems to mount against us, it can be easy to be discouraged. 00:17:14.720 --> 00:17:17.759 It can be easy to lose focus. 00:17:18.079 --> 00:17:23.680 And here's what I would say to us is when the work is dependent on me, it's easy to be overcome with doubt. 00:17:23.759 --> 00:17:28.559 Is that their insults that they were hurling at the Jews was, I don't know if they can do it. 00:17:28.720 --> 00:17:30.480 Do they believe that they can do it? 00:17:30.720 --> 00:17:40.000 And what happens in the face of opposition is our perspective begins to shift from the God who called us to we believe the lies, and now we inwardly turn and we begin to think, you know what, maybe they're right. 00:17:40.079 --> 00:17:41.680 Maybe I can't do this. 00:17:42.000 --> 00:17:49.279 Here's what I would say from Nehemiah is that it's hard to focus on the work that God has called you to when you're having to look over your shoulder. 00:17:49.759 --> 00:17:52.960 And that's one of the ways in which opposition stalls momentum. 00:17:53.039 --> 00:18:02.799 It's one of the ways that opposition creates discouragement and distraction, is because when you face opposition, it requires your focus to shift from the work to the threats. 00:18:03.599 --> 00:18:05.279 And so here's what we see in verse 14. 00:18:05.519 --> 00:18:10.480 How do you respond in this moment when the people's morale is lowered, when their strength begins to fail? 00:18:10.880 --> 00:18:13.359 Look what Nehemiah does in verse 14. 00:18:13.519 --> 00:18:17.039 After I made an inspection, he begins to inspect the work that continues. 00:18:17.440 --> 00:18:22.960 I stood up and I said to the nobles, officials, and the rest of the people don't be afraid of them. 00:18:23.920 --> 00:18:31.680 Remember the great and awe-inspiring Lord and fight for your countrymen, your sons, and your daughters, your wives, and your homes. 00:18:31.920 --> 00:18:33.039 Here's what I would say. 00:18:33.200 --> 00:18:38.960 I would say, you don't have to look over your shoulder when you know that it is Jesus who watches over you. 00:18:39.680 --> 00:18:48.720 The threat of opposition is that we have a tendency to be distracted and our focus shifts from the work God's called us to to the threats around us, and that's a very real thing that happens. 00:18:48.880 --> 00:18:59.759 What Nehemiah does is he encourages the people, hey, your focus has shifted, your perspective has shifted, and your attitude towards the work has changed because your focus is now on the threats around you. 00:18:59.920 --> 00:19:05.839 So what he does is he encourages them to turn their eyes back to the all-inspiring Lord. 00:19:06.160 --> 00:19:13.759 And when you look at not the threats around you, but when you keep your eyes focused on the Lord, then you don't have to be afraid of them. 00:19:14.000 --> 00:19:19.519 And here's why is because fear tells you your enemies are great. 00:19:19.759 --> 00:19:24.480 Faith, when your eyes are fixed on Jesus, reminds you that he is greater. 00:19:25.119 --> 00:19:30.960 And so the opposition was we're going to distract you with threats and we're going to threaten you physically with harm. 00:19:31.119 --> 00:19:35.519 And so their shift and focus turn from their work to their enemies and their threats. 00:19:35.680 --> 00:19:40.160 But what Nehemiah does is, hey, remember the Lord who fights for you. 00:19:40.319 --> 00:19:42.319 Remember the Lord who protects you. 00:19:43.119 --> 00:19:47.920 And fear tells you that your enemies are great because it shifts your focus to them. 00:19:48.160 --> 00:19:51.200 Faith reminds you that Jesus is greater. 00:19:51.599 --> 00:19:52.960 And that's what Nehemiah does. 00:19:53.039 --> 00:19:53.839 The threats are real. 00:19:53.920 --> 00:19:55.200 I'm not downplaying that. 00:19:55.279 --> 00:19:57.519 What Nehemiah does is he shifts their focus. 00:19:57.680 --> 00:20:01.920 Hey, don't allow your focus to be consumed with the threats and the enemies and the opposition around you. 00:20:02.079 --> 00:20:10.240 Instead, keep your eyes fixed on God because He is the one who has called us to do this work, and He is the one who is with us as we work. 00:20:11.279 --> 00:20:12.480 Look in verse 15. 00:20:13.039 --> 00:20:19.200 When our enemies heard that we knew their scheme and that God had frustrated it, every one of us returned to his own work on the wall. 00:20:19.359 --> 00:20:21.920 In other words, the people defend themselves. 00:20:22.079 --> 00:20:24.640 They foil the plan to be attacked by their enemies. 00:20:24.720 --> 00:20:25.759 They're no longer vulnerable. 00:20:25.839 --> 00:20:27.200 They can fight to defend themselves. 00:20:27.359 --> 00:20:31.519 When their enemies see that they have taken up arms to defend themselves, their plan is foiled. 00:20:31.599 --> 00:20:36.079 No longer do they have the element of surprise, and now their plans are discouraged and frustrated. 00:20:36.319 --> 00:20:41.680 And so in verse 16, from that day on, half of my men did the work, while the other half held spears, shields, bows, and armor. 00:20:41.839 --> 00:20:46.400 In other words, they continued to work, but they did so wisely, and they made sure that they had protection. 00:20:46.559 --> 00:20:49.759 The officers supported all the people of Judah who were rebuilding the wall. 00:20:49.920 --> 00:20:53.599 The laborers who carried the loads worked with one hand and held a weapon in the other. 00:20:53.759 --> 00:20:59.920 Each of the builders had his own sword strapped round his waist while he was building, and the one who sounded the ram's horn was beside me. 00:21:00.079 --> 00:21:02.079 But here's the key in verse 21. 00:21:02.319 --> 00:21:09.440 Even though the threats loomed, the people act wisely, they no longer work and leave themselves open to vulnerability. 00:21:09.599 --> 00:21:14.319 They work now with a sword on their hip, they work with a guard around the clock day and night. 00:21:15.680 --> 00:21:18.000 But the most important part is verse 21. 00:21:18.319 --> 00:21:32.799 So we continued the work in face and in spite of the opposition, the humiliation and the insults, the threats of physical harm, we continued the work while half of the men were holding spears from daybreak until the stars came out. 00:21:33.519 --> 00:21:35.279 Here's what I would say to us. 00:21:35.519 --> 00:21:40.960 If you are walking in what God has called you to walk in, then you should expect opposition. 00:21:41.119 --> 00:21:44.880 And here's what I would say to you is that the opposition is real. 00:21:45.359 --> 00:21:50.960 Whether it be verbally through humiliation, whether it be threats of physical harm or violence, the opposition is real. 00:21:51.119 --> 00:21:58.319 But here's what we see through Nehemiah because their eyes are no longer focused on the threat and their enemies and how big or bad or threatening they are. 00:21:58.480 --> 00:22:02.319 Instead, because Nehemiah Up and encourages the people don't be afraid. 00:22:02.480 --> 00:22:07.519 Remember who your God is, the God who fights for you, the God who protects you, the God who provides for you. 00:22:07.759 --> 00:22:11.839 The opposition is real, but the work doesn't stop. 00:22:13.279 --> 00:22:14.559 And here's why. 00:22:14.799 --> 00:22:16.079 This is why calling matters. 00:22:16.160 --> 00:22:22.400 This is why I encourage you to go and make sure you understand what we mean when we say calling is that every person who follows Jesus has a calling. 00:22:22.559 --> 00:22:27.119 Here's why the work continues is because of the God who called us in the first place. 00:22:27.920 --> 00:22:40.400 Because if the work that we're doing is the result of what God has called us to do, no matter how average or ordinary that work may seem to us, then here's what happens is that we can have confidence in the face of opposition to continue the work. 00:22:40.480 --> 00:22:41.200 And here's why. 00:22:41.359 --> 00:22:50.880 Because it is God who calls us, and because God called us to do this work, He is the one who is with us in the work, and He is the one who fights for us. 00:22:52.000 --> 00:23:02.640 So what I'm telling you is if you walk in your calling, you can expect opposition, but just because the opposition is real does not mean that you have to stop the work that God has called you to do. 00:23:03.119 --> 00:23:05.359 Sometimes it's just a matter of perspective. 00:23:05.599 --> 00:23:20.319 Sometimes it's a matter of having somebody who can speak truth into your life, who can remind you when you're discouraged or frustrated, when your strength begins to fail, is to not look at the threats or the opposition around you, but instead to fix your eyes on heaven and to understand that this is God who called you to do this work. 00:23:20.480 --> 00:23:23.920 It is God who is with you in this work, and it is God who fights for you. 00:23:24.559 --> 00:23:34.000 So no longer is it dependent on your ability to defend yourself, but instead you can oppose the opposition because you know that it is God who fights for you and goes with you. 00:23:34.160 --> 00:23:35.839 Therefore the work doesn't stop. 00:23:36.640 --> 00:23:46.240 Here's what I would say as we summarize this entire message is this that operation may st or opposition, sorry, may stall momentum. 00:23:46.559 --> 00:23:47.920 You will face opposition. 00:23:48.000 --> 00:23:53.759 And sometimes the opposition begins to win, sometimes your strength fails, sometimes you're discouraged, sometimes you begin to doubt. 00:23:54.000 --> 00:23:59.920 Opposition may stall momentum, but it does not have to cancel the mission. 00:24:00.079 --> 00:24:09.680 And the mission is whatever it is that God has called you to do, no matter how significant or insignificant you may think it is, it is God who calls and positions his people for his purposes. 00:24:09.839 --> 00:24:11.359 That is our mission. 00:24:11.599 --> 00:24:13.839 Opposition may stall the momentum that we have. 00:24:14.000 --> 00:24:27.119 We may face temporary lapses in judgment or concentration or morale or strength, but it does not have to cancel the mission because we shift our eyes from our opposition and reminded that this is the God who called me and this is the God who goes with me. 00:24:27.359 --> 00:24:34.319 And here's my last encouragement to you is this that opposition often is a sign that you are making progress. 00:24:34.480 --> 00:24:38.160 So here's my encouragement: is this so press on. 00:24:38.720 --> 00:24:42.720 And press on with your eyes fixed on Jesus. 00:24:43.039 --> 00:24:48.079 He allows you, in spite of opposition, to continue to do the work that he has called you to. 00:24:48.319 --> 00:24:49.200 Let me pray for you. 00:24:49.440 --> 00:24:51.279 God, we thank you for this series. 00:24:51.599 --> 00:25:01.039 God, we thank you that we do have a calling and a purpose that informs our lives and informs what we do with our lives and our work and our ethic, God. 00:25:01.200 --> 00:25:07.039 And we ask that in spite of opposition, that we would keep our eyes fixed on you, and you would allow us to press on. 00:25:07.279 --> 00:25:10.880 You would allow us to press on through discouragement or through distractions. 00:25:11.039 --> 00:25:15.279 God, that you would give strength to our weary bodies and our weary souls and our weary hands. 00:25:15.440 --> 00:25:23.200 God, that you would help us to keep our eyes fixed on Jesus so that we can continue to press on with whatever it is that you have called us to do. 00:25:23.440 --> 00:25:30.799 Lord, not because it's about us, but Lord, it is about you and your glory and your kingdom, and help us to be faithful. 00:25:30.960 --> 00:25:32.559 Lord, help us to press on. 00:25:32.799 --> 00:25:35.200 We love you, we thank you, and we ask this in Jesus' name. 00:25:35.359 --> 00:25:36.000 Amen.