Rebuilding the walls of our lives

Salt Church - Bolton

In late autumn, in the month of Kislev, in the
twentieth year of King Artaxerxes’ reign, I was at the
fortress of Susa. Hanani, one of my brothers, came to
visit me with some other men who had just arrived
from Judah. I asked them about the Jews who had
returned there from captivity and about how things
were going in Jerusalem. They said to me, “Things are
not going well for those who returned to the province
of Judah. They are in great trouble and disgrace. The
wall of Jerusalem has been torn down, and the gates
have been destroyed by fire.” When I heard this, I sat
down and wept. In fact, for days I mourned, fasted,
and prayed to the God of heaven.

Nehemiah 1.1-4 (NLT)

 How he overcame

He was honest about how bad the situation was and

didn’t try to blame someone else

I confess that we have sinned against you. Yes, even

my own family and I have sinned! We have sinned
terribly by not obeying the commands, decrees, and
regulations that you gave us through your servant
Moses.

Nehemiah 1.6-7 (NLT)

 How he overcame

He trusted that God would do what he said and believed

what everyone else thought would be impossible

“Please remember what you told your servant Moses:

‘If you are unfaithful to me, I will scatter you among
the nations. But if you return to me and obey my
commands and live by them, then even if you are
exiled to the ends of the earth, I will bring you back to
the place I have chosen for my name to be honoured.’

Nehemiah 1.8-9 (NLT)

 How he overcame

He acknowledged he needed help, and went for it – from God

and from people

O Lord, please hear my prayer! Listen to the prayers

of those of us who delight in honouring you. Please
grant me success today by making the king favourable
to me. Put it into his heart to be kind to me.”

Nehemiah 1.11 (NLT)

 How he overcame

He had a plan – a clear goal, the times and resources needed

The king asked, “Well, how can I help you?”

 With a prayer to the God of heaven, I replied, “If it
please the king, and if you are pleased with me, your
servant, send me to Judah to rebuild the city where
my ancestors are buried.”
 The king, with the queen sitting beside him, asked,
“How long will you be gone? When will you return?”
After I told him how long I would be gone, the king
agreed to my request.
 How he overcame

He never gave up

One day I went to the house of Shemaiah son of Delaiah, the son
of Mehetabel, who was shut in at his home. He said, "Let us
meet in the house of God, inside the temple, and let us close the
temple doors, because men are coming to kill you—by night they
are coming to kill you."
But I said, "Should a man like me run away? Or should one like
me go into the temple to save his life? I will not go!"

Nehemiah 6.10-11 (NLT)

 Obstacles

Fear

●
When he went to the king
●
When he was threatened

Opposition

●
From people moved by envy or personal interests

The Rubble
 The Rubble

Meanwhile, the people in Judah said, "The strength of the

labourers is giving out, and there is so much rubble that we
cannot rebuild the wall."
Nehemiah 4.10 (NLT)
 The enemy will fight you by:
• Mockery and ridicule
• Despise and discouragement
• False accusations
• Intimidation
 Mockery and Ridicule

 19 But when Sanballat the Horonite, Tobiah the Ammonite

official and Geshem the Arab heard about it, they mocked and
ridiculed us. "What is this you are doing?" they asked. "Are you
rebelling against the king?"
 20 I answered them by saying, "The God of heaven will give us
success. We his servants will start rebuilding, but as for you, you
have no share in Jerusalem or any claim or historic right to it."

Nehemiah 2(NIV)
 Despise and Discouragement

 1 When Sanballat heard that we were rebuilding the wall, he

became angry and was greatly incensed. He ridiculed the Jews, 2
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?"
 3 Tobiah the Ammonite, who was at his side, said, "What they
are building—if even a fox climbed up on it, he would break
down their wall of stones!"

Nehemiah 4.1(NLT)
 False Accusations
"It is reported among the nations—and Geshem says it is true—
that you and the Jews are plotting to revolt, and therefore you
are building the wall. Moreover, according to these reports you
are about to become their king and have even appointed
prophets to make this proclamation about you in Jerusalem:
'There is a king in Judah!' Now this report will get back to the
king; so come, let us confer together.“
I sent him this reply: "Nothing like what you are saying is
happening; you are just making it up out of your head."
 They were all trying to frighten us, thinking, "Their hands will
get too weak for the work, and it will not be completed."
       But I prayed, "Now strengthen my hands."

Nehemiah 6.5 (NIV)

 Intimidation

Remember Tobiah and Sanballat, O my God, because of what

they have done; remember also the prophetess Noadiah and the
rest of the prophets who have been trying to intimidate me.

Nehemiah 6.14 (NIV)

 Nehemiah’s answer

 7 But when Sanballat, Tobiah, the Arabs, the Ammonites and

the men of Ashdod heard that the repairs to Jerusalem's walls
had gone ahead and that the gaps were being closed, they were
very angry. 8 They all plotted together to come and fight against
Jerusalem and stir up trouble against it. 9 But we prayed to our
God and posted a guard day and night to meet this threat.

Nehemiah 4 (NIV)
 The first gate to be rebuilt

Then Eliashib the high priest and the other priests started to
rebuild at the Sheep Gate. They dedicated it and set up its doors,
building the wall as far as the Tower of the Hundred, which they
dedicated, and the Tower of Hananel.

Nehemiah 3.1(NLT)
    I tell you the truth, I am the gate for the sheep.
    Whoever enters through me will be saved. He will come in and
go out, and find pasture.
    The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come
that they may have life, and have it to the full.
    I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life
for the sheep.

John 10:7-11 (NIV)