January
11, 2009
Audio
sermon
Nehemiah
1-6
Nehemiah recognized the problem, but he really know
the real problems that were about to come to him after he got started!
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1:3 - And
they said unto me, The remnant that are left of the captivity there in
the province are in great affliction and reproach: the wall of Jerusalem
also is broken down, and the gates thereof are burned with fire.
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We know of the damage today:
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godliness (Christianity)
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church
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local
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universal
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preaching
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teaching
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profane and vain babblings instead of
rightly dividing
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Christians
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Bibles
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children and grandchildren
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the country
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freedoms
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economy
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global attraction
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our personal lives
And you want to respond to Acts
26:18 as you learn to follow the Risen Christ through Paul's
teachings - rightly dividing, KJB, etc.?
I. Watch out, here they
come - and they are not pleased with you and your new life!
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2:10 - When
Sanballat the Horonite, and Tobiah the servant, the Ammonite, heard of
it, it grieved them exceedingly that there was come a man to seek the welfare
of the children of Israel.
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Sanballat, the Horonite & Tobiah
the Ammonite (a servant)
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When they heard...
who were they listening to?
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They were exceedingly
grieved.
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II Timothy
3:13 - But evil men and seducers shall
wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived.
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II Timothy
4:3,4 - For the time will come when they
will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap
to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their
ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.
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Galatians 4:16
- Am I therefore become your enemy, because
I tell you the truth?
Galatians
4:17 - They zealously affect you, but not
well; yea, they would exclude you, that ye might affect them.
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II Corinthians
12:15 - And I will very gladly spend and
be spent for you; though the more abundantly I love you, the less I be
loved.
II.
They challenged them - What is this thing that ye do? - to their face adding
scorn.
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Their action:
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2:19 - But
when Sanballat the Horonite, and Tobiah the servant, the Ammonite, and
Geshem the Arabian, heard it, they laughed us to scorn, and despised us,
and said, What is this thing that ye do? will ye rebel against the
king?
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When they heard...
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Talked about them
to others and got them involved now...
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Laughed them to
scorn
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Despised them
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Accused them of
going against what is 'right.'
III.
They mocked by expressing doubt to them!
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4:1 - But
it came to pass, that when Sanballat heard that we builded the wall, he
was wroth, and took great indignation, and mocked the Jews.
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When he heard...
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He was wroth!
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He took great
indignation!
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He mocked the
Jews!
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He expressed his
doubt!
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'feeble'
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will they fortify themselves?
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will they sacrifice?
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will they make an end in a day?
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will they revive stones out of the burned
rubbish?
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a fox will be able to break it down!
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he doubted...
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how strong they really were!
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how serious they really were!
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that they had what it would take!
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that they were capable!
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their ability!
IV. They
Conspired Others Together
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4:7-8 - But
it came to pass, that when Sanballat, and Tobiah, and the Arabians, and
the Ammonites, and the Ashdodites, heard that the walls of Jerusalem were
made up, and that the breaches began to be stopped, then they were very
wroth, And conspired all of them together to come and to fight against
Jerusalem, and to hinder it.
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Added to the troops!
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Sanballat / Tobiah
/ Arabians / Ammonites / Ashdodites
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All wroth
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Conspired to fight
against them
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Tried to hinder
them
V. They
worked their way into the midst of them!
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4:11 - And
our adversaries said, They shall not know, neither see, till we come in
the midst among them, and slay them, and cause the work to cease.
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They knew that Nehemiah's people were
getting weaker because of the rubbish in their lives!
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4:10 - And
Judah said, The strength of the bearers of burdens is decayed, and there
is much rubbish; so that we are not able to build the wall.
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How did they know?
They must have heard...
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They continually
'talked' to Nehemiah's people...
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they won't know
until it is too late
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they won't see
until it is too late
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then we can slay
them
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then we can get
the 'work' to cease
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4:12 - And
it came to pass, that when the Jews which dwelt by them came, they said
unto us ten times, From all places whence ye shall return unto us they
will be upon you.
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would that wear them down - after awhile,
many must have just given in...?
VI. He
offers COMPROMISE!
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6:1-2 - Now
it came to pass, when Sanballat, and Tobiah, and Geshem the Arabian, and
the rest of our enemies, heard that I had builded the wall, and that there
was no breach left therein; (though at that time I had not set up the doors
upon the gates;) That Sanballat and Geshem sent unto me, saying, Come,
let us meet together in some one of the villages in the plain of Ono.
But they thought to do me mischief.
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Nehemiah's own leaders were hard on
them - bondage, etc.
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5:1-5
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It was ruining their families - being
brought under bondage to keep it all going - and had lost their land and
possessions, etc.
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When they heard...
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So, they made
it appear that they were offering compromise, but in all reality, they
wanted to do Nehemiah mischief.
VII.
He Makes False Accusations
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6:5-7 -
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Tried a fifth
time with a accusatory letter
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Accuses Nehemiah
of personal gain and wanting power.
VIII.
They actually 'hire' a Traitor to get Nehemiah
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6:10 - Afterward
I came unto the house of Shemaiah the son of Delaiah the son of Mehetabeel,
who was shut up; and he said, Let us meet together in the house of God,
within the temple, and let us shut the doors of the temple: for they will
come to slay thee; yea, in the night will they come to slay thee.
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Shemaiah was hired
by Sanballat
IX.
Even after it was finish, they never gave up!
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6:17-19
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There were still
people in the ranks of Nehemiah that were still close to Tobiah.
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Did you ever wonder
how Sanballat always knew the status of the wall building?
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It was because
of some folks within Nehemiah's congregation that kept them all up to date!
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This is
how they always knew what Nehemiah was doing!!!!
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They continued
to try to show Nehemiah that Tobiah wasn't that bad of a man - even AFTER
Tobiah proved himself to be the enemy!
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Tobiah continued
to send letters to Nehemiah to try put him in fear!
Sermon
notes from King James Bible Church of Touchet, WA
Pastor
- Mike Paulson
www.scatteredchristians.org
The
entire King James Bible is written FOR us, but it is not all written TO
us!
We
learn from the "For" and we try to apply the 'TO!"