In Jason Dohm's sermon titled 'Malicious Opposition to a Great Work,' the focus is on Nehemiah's leadership in rebuilding Jerusalem's walls despite facing malicious opposition from enemies like Sanballat, Tobiah, and Geshem. The sermon draws from Nehemiah 6:1-9, highlighting how these adversaries repeatedly attempted to lure Nehemiah away from his work with the intent to harm him. Nehemiah's response was steadfast; he recognized the importance of his work and refused to be distracted. The sermon emphasizes Nehemiah's wisdom in identifying enemies, his faithfulness in the face of opposition, and the importance of using God-given resources to bless His people and build His kingdom. Dohm underscores the idea that increased faithfulness often leads to increased opposition and challenges believers to define what constitutes a 'great work' by focusing on what God calls significant. The sermon also encourages believers to be wise and innocent, recognizing vulnerabilities and standing firm in their mission. In conclusion, Dohm urges the audience to reflect on their faithfulness and the potential for opposition, drawing parallels between Nehemiah's time and the present day.

Hear the word of the Lord from Nehemiah 6, 1 through 9. Now when Sanballat and Tobiah and Gasham the Arab and the rest of our enemies heard that I had built the wall and that there was no breach left in it, although up to that time I had not set up the doors and the gates. Sanballet and Gesham sent to me saying, Come and let us meet together at Heka-Farem in the plain of Ono. But they intended to do me harm, and I sent messengers to them saying, I am doing a great work and I cannot come down. Why should the work stop while I leave it and come down to you?

And they sent to me four times in this way, and I answered them in the same manner. In the same way, Sam Ballett, for the fifth time, sent his servant to me with an open letter in his hand. And in it was written, it is reported among the nations, and Geshem also says it, that you and the Jews intend to rebel. That is why you are building the wall, and according to these reports you wish to become their king, and you have also set up prophets to proclaim concerning you in Jerusalem. There is a king in Judah, and now the king will hear of these reports.

So now come, and let us take counsel together. And then I sent to him, saying, no such things as you say have been done for you are inventing them out of your own mind for they all wanted to frighten us thinking their hands will drop from the work and it will not be done but now oh God strengthen my hands let's pray father I pray that the that the weight that this is your word would fall on us now I pray that our hearts would see the great and glorious God that upholds a courageous man such as Nehemiah but may our our eyes not fall and rest on him but on his God. Father, I pray that you will be with our brother Jason. I pray that you will help him to rightly divide your word. Grab our attention.

Grab the attention of our children as well. The title of the sermon this morning is, Malicious Opposition to a Great Work. There's been opposition, and I suppose it would have been okay to call it malicious before now, but now it really turns intensely personal in our text. It becomes focused and targeted on one personality, Nehemiah, because he's leading the work. He's not just leading the work, he's leading a great work.

Nehemiah identifies what they're doing in Jerusalem as a great work now. Last week the title was Serving Not Being Served. And that's exactly what we saw of Nehemiah. He could have been served, he was the governor, and He could have been piling up wealth. The opportunity existed because people were desperate for money during this period.

We've seen that in the lead up to our text. So he could have served himself, but Nehemiah is so far away from that. He's serving, he's sleeping in his clothes, working all day, ready to fight at night if there's an attack. And he's even feeding people at his own table. So it would have been right for there to have been an allotment for feeding him because of his labors as the governors, but he's set aside that right.

Because God has given him great resources, he's put those resources in play. One clarification I'd like to make from last week, and it was really a problem with the sermon last week. This is something I should have said last week. There is one Nehemiah in the text. God has raised him up.

He's an unusual man. God's given him unusual levels of resources. So to come away from the text and say, with the thought that we should all be Nehemiah, God's going to make every one of us into a Nehemiah. It would be contrary to actually what we see in the book of Nehemiah. God raises up particular men at particular times.

And Some of them he gives tremendous resources to, others he doesn't. Resources are no sign of maturity. That's for sure. You could have come away from last week's sermon, because I wasn't explicit thinking that way. This is one way that God works.

The way we're seeing him work in the book of Nehemiah. But it's not normative. God's not going to make every one of us into a Nehemiah. In fact, I think if we were to compare anyone in the room against the standard of last week's text to say, okay, your household and the resources that God has given you now needs to bear feeding 150 people all the time for 12 years. I think all of our household economies would collapse under that.

And we would all fail that test. The same Bible that puts forth Nehemiah, and God having made him ready for that day and that place and time to be in a position where he could bless God's people by keeping a heavy financial burden off of them. It also says this in Matthew 10, verses 9 and 10. This is Jesus sending out the twelve disciples and here's what Jesus says to them as they're going, provide neither gold nor silver nor copper in your money belts, nor bag for your journey, nor tunics, nor sandals, nor staff, where a worker is worthy of his food. Jesus actually sends out the twelve disciples.

They've got nothing and he tells them not to take anything. And he's teaching them about faith. So in the same way we would say God is wise in doing that, but that's not normative either. That's not always how he works either. The same is true in Nehemiah.

The point of the text isn't that Nehemiah is normal and we should all aspire to have the resources that Nehemiah had. The point of the text is that whatever resources God gives us, in whatever quantities He gives them to us, they're his. And they're to be used to bless his people and to build his kingdom. Not all resources are financial by the way, you know that, but time is one of our most precious resources. Whatever he gives us, in whatever quantity, they are His.

And every bit of it ought to be in play, ought to be put to use to bless His people and to build His kingdom. That's really the point of last week's text. This week, having been thwarted thus far in preventing the Lord's people from making progress on rebuilding the walls and the gates, all of the attempts to stop that work have been foiled. None of them have worked. So up goes the wall.

Progress is continually being made. So with all that having failed, now the enemies of God and the enemies of God's people are after Nehemiah himself. These become very personal attacks. They become focused on one man because he's leading. And we get a front row seat in this week's text to see how a godly man handles being individually targeted by the enemies of the Lord.

This is a blessing, because you might find yourself in your lifetime in the crosshairs, in being scoped by the enemies of the Lord's people because you're working to bless His people and to build His Kingdom. And that's never going to be popular in the world. Never. And so now we get a front row seat to see how a godly man deals with this. As we go to the text, let's go to the Lord in prayer.

Our God, I thank you that you've numbered our days. Before any of the days of our lives were lived, every one, every day was written in your book. No enemy can come against us in the span of our lives, and harm us in any way that's outside your wisdom for teaching us and helping us. Thank you for that. No one can shorten our lifespan by a day, by an hour, by a minute, by a second.

It's all in your hands. It was all determined and known by you before we lived our first day. Thank you for the comfort and confidence that we get from your word. Pray this in Jesus' name, Amen. I'll be dividing the text this week into three different subsections.

So we're in Nehemiah chapter 6 now, and the first subsection is verses 1 through 4. So Let's read that again. Now it happened when Sanballat, Tobiah, Gesham the Arab, and the rest of our enemies heard that I had rebuilt the wall and that there were no breaks left in it, though at that time I had not hung the doors in the gates, that Sanballat and Gesham sent to me saying, Come, let us meet together among the villages in the plain of Ono. But they thought to do me harm. So I sent messengers to them saying, I am doing a great work so that I cannot come down.

Why should the work cease while I leave it to go down to you? They sent me this message four times and I answered them in the same manner. In this section we have a plan to do harm through intrigue. If you're taking notes on the handout and filling in blanks, it's harm and intrigue. A plan to do harm through intrigue.

I want to begin by just reviewing, taking a tour of where we are to this point in Nehemiah, particularly with respect to the opposition that the Lord's people are encountering all the time, pretty much. And the history that is relevant to this actually starts in Nehemiah chapter 4. So if you flip back to Nehemiah chapter 4, just a few pages here. In Nehemiah chapter 4, Nehemiah gives us the history of the early years of the reign of Artaxerxes. So in our text, we're in the 20th year of King Artaxerxes, the king of Persia.

So earlier in his reign, we don't know how much earlier, because there's not a time stamp on it in Nehemiah, but certainly before the 20th year, there's been a letter written to Artaxerxes to warn the king that the people in Jerusalem are a rebellious people. And they're trouble. And if you let them finish the wall, you'll be done receiving taxes from them because they always rebel when they're strong. So this letter is going to the king. And The people who are writing the letter say, just check the archives.

You'll find out that what we're saying is true. King Artxerxes writes them back saying, I did check the archives and it does look like they do rebel against kings when they're strong. Until further notice, until you hear from me again, make them stop the work. We read this in Ezra chapter 4 verse 23. Now when the copy of King Art-Exerxes letter was read before Rehum, Shemshai the scribe and their companions, They went up in haste to Jerusalem against the Jews, and by force of arms made them cease.

So in Ezra chapter 4, we learn that there's already been an attempt to repair and rebuild the walls. And this letter written to the king, and the letter written back from the king to the people in Samaria, authorize them to go and by force of arms stop them from doing what is being done in the book of Nehemiah. So these are in the early years of the same king's reign. Now to Nehemiah chapter 1 verse 3. This is how the book of Nehemiah begins in Nehemiah chapter 1 verse 3.

This is the report that came to Nehemiah. And they said to me, the survivors who are left from the captivity in the province are in great distress and reproach. The wall of Jerusalem is also broken down, and its gates are burned with fire." So from Ezra 4, we know that there was a previous attempt to repair the wall, and by force of arms, they were stopped from doing it. Now at the beginning of the book of Nehemiah, a report comes to Nehemiah and they're living in distress, great distress and reproach. The walls are still broken down and the gates are burned.

Now in chapter 2 verse 10 we are introduced to Sanballat and Tobiah. Look at Nehemiah chapter 2 verse 10. When Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite official heard of it. They were deeply disturbed that a man had come to seek the well-being of the children of Israel. So Nehemiah has now arrived in Jerusalem.

He's delivered the letters that were sent with him by the king to authorize him to do this to the governors of the surrounding territories so that they know he has authorization to do this. Sanballat and Tobiah see these letters and they're disturbed that someone would come to help these people get out of the reproach under which they have been living. Now just look in verse 19. This is Nehemiah chapter 2 verse 19. But when Sanballat the Horonite, Tobiah the Ammonite official, and Gesheb the Arab heard of it, They laughed at us and despised us and said, what is this thing that you are doing?

Will you rebel against the king? So what we are seeing in Nehemiah chapter 6, we have already seen in chapter 2, they have already been accusing the Jews of rebellion. And they think that is what the wall building is about. And it's the same three men in chapter 2, Tobiah, Sambalat Tobiah, and Gesham the Arab, that we find in this week's text. Now flip to Chapter 4.

So in Chapter 2 they were laughing. Chapter 4, the work has started. Look at verses 1-3. But it so happened when Sambalat heard that we were rebuilding the wall, that he was furious and very indignant and mocked the Jews. And He spoke before his brethren in the army of Samaria and said, What are these feeble Jews doing?

Will they fortify themselves? Will they offer sacrifices? Will they complete it in a day? Will they revive the stones from the heaps of rubbish, stones that are burned. Now Tobiah the Ammonite was beside him and he said, whatever they build, if even a fox goes up on it, he will break down their stone wall.

And now look at verses 6-8. So we built the wall, and the entire wall was joined together up to half its height, where the people had a mind to work. Now it happened when Sanballat, Tobiah, the Arabs, the Ammonites, and the Ashdodites heard that the walls of Jerusalem were being restored and the gaps were beginning to be closed, that they became very angry and all of them conspired together to come and attack Jerusalem and create confusion. Look down just a few verses to verse 11. Our adversaries said, They will neither know nor see anything till we come into their midst and kill them and cause the work to cease.

You see this pattern of escalation so clearly. It started out them just being disturbed that someone had come to do good to the Jews. And then it proceeds to them mocking and laughing, thinking that the feeble Jews wouldn't be able to do anything. But then progress begins to be made. That changes things for them.

They're indignant and furious, and they conspire together to make an armed attack against Jerusalem. Then Nehemiah becomes aware of it, and he sets guards 24 hours a day, looking in every direction. He arms the men and they're building with one hand and carrying swords with the other. They're ready for an attack. Everything raised up against them so far has been put down by God.

God has given Nehemiah the information that he's needed. Now, Sanballat and Tobiah and Gesham the Arab hear that there are no breaks, there are no more breaches in the wall, there are no easy places to attack on the perimeter of Jerusalem. So now Jerusalem can be defended for the first time in how long? Probably since Nebuchadnezzar had come and ransacked Jerusalem and broken down the walls 200 years earlier. Jerusalem has sat defenseless for 200 years and now Jerusalem can be defended for the first time in a long time and the people aren't going to live in reproach and under the thumb of Sambalat, Tobiah, and Geshem anymore.

We also see in this portion of the text the extent to which Nehemiah is the figurehead. In other words, he's the face of the work. To be sure, it's not the individual efforts of Nehemiah that has closed all the gaps in the wall and built the wall up to its full height. There are thousands of people in 40 different groups. Remember chapter 3.

We saw there are 40 different groups working on 42 sections of wall. There are thousands and thousands of people doing the work here. But here it says, I had rebuilt the wall. That's the report that Sambilat, Tobiah, and Gesham get. It was Nehemiah who had built the wall.

He's the face of the work. This often happens with leaders. They're so closely identified to the efforts that they're leading, even though there are thousands of workers behind them really doing the labor. In verse 2, Sambalat and Gesham extend an offer to meet. Come meet with us.

Now wait a minute. In verse 1, it was Sambalat, Tobiah, and Gesham. In verse 2, an offer is extended only by two, only by Sambalat and Gesham. Where is Tobiah? What has happened to Tobiah?

Why isn't he involved in this invitation to me? The text does not say, but In chapter 6, if you look at verse 18, what you see about Tobiah, the missing man in the invitation, is that he is married to the daughter of Shekiniah, and His son Jehohanan is married to the daughter of Mishulam. He is married to a Jew. His son is married to a Jew. They are involved in mixed marriages.

He has direct, significant entanglements. They are going to make a plot against Nehemiah, a big problem for him. So the text doesn't say it, but I think it's implied, or at least a reasonable conclusion, that it might be his entanglements through marriage that keeps him out of this invitation. He can't afford to be associated about this plot, but it tells us a lot about the plot, doesn't it? That his marriage into These people, the things that are intended, make him have to distance himself from this invitation.

Where are they to meet? There's an invitation to Nehemiah. Come out and meet with us. The villages in the plain of Ono. Some translations actually give a village name.

The King James and the New King James say the villages. The reason for that is this place, wherever precisely it is, isn't mentioned elsewhere in Scripture. The Hebrew word means plural villages. It's either just the villages like the King James and the New King James translates it, or it's a town named Villages on the Plain of Ono. That's why when Michael was reading it, probably out of an ESV, it had an actual name.

They just haven't translated it over because we don't know which it is. And It doesn't really matter. What does matter is where the plain of Ono is. This is what I read in Charles Fincham's excellent commentary on Nehemiah. Charles Fincham says this, The valley Ono is about 27 miles northwest of Jerusalem.

If you go north and west of Jerusalem, far enough, you end up on the Mediterranean. This is an area very near the Mediterranean, 27 miles northwest of Jerusalem. He continues, in the 8th century BC, so right now in Nehemiah 6, we're in the 5th century BC, so 300 years earlier. We're probably in the year 445 BC right now. So in the 8th century BC, it was part of Philistine country.

So you know that the Philistines and the Israelites are oil and water. They don't mix. They are always at war throughout Israel's history. In the eighth century BC, it was part of Philistine territory. The small villages were conquered by Josiah, king of Judah, in the second half of the seventh century, but not the bigger cities.

From that time forward, this plain, this area, this territory, is a mixture of Judah and Philistine territory. Then the Babylonians come and make it all Babylonian, and the Persians come and make it all Persian. This is the historical context of the place where they're suggesting that they meet. It's a place that has Samaria to its north and east, that has the old Philistine territory. It's a territory now known as Ashdod to the south, and then Judah to the east.

So it's the far reaches of Judah, just barely part of Judah, and right on the borders of enemy territory. The point is to get Nehemiah away from his protections and expose him to treachery. They have treachery in their hearts. And they want to get him away from protection. So they make a suggestion, Let's meet at the outer reaches, right on the border of enemy territory.

This reminds me of Acts chapter 23. In Acts chapter 23, Paul has been taken into custody. There's a plot against Paul's life where the Jews are just waiting for him to be transferred. They think they know where he's going to be transferred to. As soon as he's in route, He's being transferred from one place to the other.

There are 40 men who have taken a pact to kill Paul. This is probably something very similar to this, that is in the works in Nehemiah chapter 6. What's the purpose? It's not a mystery. The purpose is not to negotiate or to mend fences with Nehemiah and the Jews.

The second half of verse 2 says, They thought to do me harm. Harm is the purpose, not negotiation or fence mending. The Hebrew word behind harm occurs hundreds of times in the Old Testament, and overwhelmingly in the King James Version it's rendered evil. They meant to do him evil. They meant to do evil to Nehemiah.

Turn in your Bibles to Proverbs chapter 26. Proverbs chapter 26. I wonder if Nehemiah was thinking about Proverbs chapter 26 when he received this invitation. Maybe. At least it's fitting.

Proverbs chapter 26, I'll be reading 23 through 26. Proverbs chapter 26, I will be reading 23-26. Fervent lips with a wicked heart are like earthenware covered with silver draws. Have you ever seen silver paint, spray on paint? Just spray it on the top of something that's not good.

Hey, silver! 24. He who hates disguises it with his lips and lays up deceit within himself. When he speaks kindly, do not believe him, for there are seven abominations in his heart. Though his hatred is covered by deceit, his wickedness will be revealed before the assembly.

This is what's happening in Nehemiah chapter 6. You have a friendly invitation. It is just a little silver paint over the top of hatred and malice and an intent to do evil. Nehemiah responds, he sends messengers, plural. I wouldn't want to be the one guy to deliver this message either.

I think there's wisdom that we see in him sending messengers, and he says, God, I've got to work. I can't come. I can't spare the time. I'm working on a great work. That's what Nehemiah says, and I can't afford to stop to meet with you for one minute.

What a great response. It's quite humorous if you think about it. What do they want the most? What do Sanballat and Tobiah and Gasham want more than anything? They want that work stopping.

For them to send this invite and to get back the response. Can't come. The work's too great. Can't let it stop for one minute. Every day that goes by as the letters are flying back and forth, work is happening.

More progress is made. Nope, can't come. The work is too important. No time to meet. Jesus says this, also in Matthew 10.

I've already quoted Matthew 10 once today. Here's the second time Matthew 10 verse 16 as Jesus is sending out his disciples. He says behold I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves It's a dangerous world out there for sheep, because there are wolves abroad. Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves." Harmless as doves is the New King James. The NASB and the ESV and the NIV translate it as innocent as doves.

It really is better if you look at the Hebrew word. It really means unmixed. Unmixed as doves. No mixture of good and evil. Be unmixed, like a dove.

But also be as wise as a serpent. Here we see Nehemiah, he is being innocent as a dove. There's nothing evil in his response, but he's also being wise as a serpent. He's aware of what these men are thinking and doing and he is responding with wisdom. First, he is not afraid to identify enemies as enemies.

We see that in verse 1. As Nehemiah relates this to us in verse 1, he says it's Sambalat, it's Tobiah, it's Gesham the Arab, and the rest of our enemies. It looks like a duck, and it quacks like a duck, you say, that's a duck. These look like enemies, and they act like enemies. So Nehemiah says, you're enemies.

That's being wise as a serpent. Knowing when you're dealing with enemies because of how they have presented themselves to you repeatedly. There need be no doubt for Nehemiah based on what we've already learned in the first five chapters, that these are the enemies of the Lord's people and the Lord's kingdom. Second, someone not as wise as the serpent might have gone and been harmed. Someone who was just as innocent as a dove might have said, hey they want to meet, and gone and been harmed.

The point is, you don't give the benefit of the doubt to your proven enemies. That's not as wise as a serpent, to give the benefit of the doubt to your proven enemies. That's not as wise as a serpent, to give the benefit of the doubt to your proven enemies. It doesn't mean you should treat everybody like an enemy, it just means that you should recognize that people who have proven themselves to be your enemies are your enemies and they've forfeited the benefit of the doubt, of course. Here's something that James Hamilton says.

James Hamilton is an alive commentator. I almost never read the alive ones. I like the dead ones. James Hamilton is a Southern Baptist. The Southern Baptists are putting out what I think is a really good commentary series about a preaching Christ, Christ centered preaching of Old Testament books.

There's one for Ezra Nehemiah and James Hamilton has written this one. Here's what he says, Are you realistic about your enemies and their intentions? Do you know that Satan is your enemy? Do you know that the enticements to sin that confront you are put there by those who intend to do you harm. How do you react when you're invited by someone to some place where you know the devil wants to get you in a vulnerable spot so that he can destroy you?

This is really helpful application. James Hamilton looks at the text and he sees Nehemiah's enemies trying to lure him to a border town where he'll be exposed and vulnerable. He says there's a spiritual application to that. You can pull that forward into the year 2015 and say, hey this applies to us. We have an enemy too who would love to pull us out to the border town, right on the edge, where we're most vulnerable, and his intent is evil.

What do you do when you get an invite to the border town, where you know you've been vulnerable many times. What then? Nehemiah says in this section that it's a great work. And we think it's a great work. We know it's a great work because we're studying our Bibles.

We love our Bibles. But just take a step back for a minute and look through the eyes of the world of where Nehemiah has been and what he's doing now. He was the king's cupbearer, one of the most trusted servants of the king of pretty much the known world. 127 provinces. He's there.

He has the king's ear. He's proven he had the king's ear. Because he spoke to the king and the king honored his request and made him the governor of a province. So he's taken this job of influence and he's given it up to come out here to sort of an obscure corner of the empire to help with the building project. It means a lot to the Lord's people.

It means a lot to Nehemiah, but in the eyes of the world It means nothing compared to being at the king's table every night. But Nehemiah could walk away from that and say, this is the great work. The Lord's people have been living in reproach, exposed to their enemies. And now we're fortifying Jerusalem for the first time in 200 years. This is the great work, not being at the king's table.

How do you define a great work? Do you have the wisdom of Nehemiah? How do you define what's significant and not significant? It's so important that we get it right and then we not be moved. Be immovable.

In other words, we define what a great work is, what significant work really is, and then once we've got it clear in our minds what God would have us do, that we are immovable. We can't be, we won't budge off of it. I think there are three characteristics to a great work. The what, the how, and the for whom. The what is what are you working on.

That's typically what we think about. You're the king's cup bearer, you're at his table, that's a great work. So the what is typically evaluated through that lens, but we should look at the what differently. Is God giving us this work to do in His Word? Is it founded in the words of Scripture?

Then the how. How you go about your work is as important as what you're doing. How. The Bible has much to say not only about what we should do, but how we should go about that work. It means very little to be doing the right thing in the wrong way.

How often does that happen? And then finally, the for whom. You can ruin a great work by doing it for the wrong person. You're the wrong person. You shouldn't do it for yourself.

You should do it for God. You should do it for His glory. You should do it so that He's highly exalted and that Christ is known. This is how we know if we're working on a great work. The what is founded in Scripture.

The how is founded in Scripture. The for whom is God in His glory. This means that a housewife This means that a housewife can be doing something infinitely more meaningful than a president or a king. She can have the what and the how and the for whom nailed while the king fails in every category. The sequence in our text, back to our text.

The sequence repeats itself three times for a total of four requests and responses. Come meet, no. Come meet, no. Come meet, no. Come meet, no.

The request never changes and the response never changes. We find Nehemiah to be immovable and resolute. Let's move on to the next section, verses 5-7. Nehemiah chapter 6, verses 5-7. Then Sambalat sent his servant to me as before, the fifth time, with an open letter in his hand.

In it was written, it is reported among the nations, and Geshum says, you and the Jews plan to rebel. Therefore, according to these rumors, you are rebuilding the wall that you may be their king. You have also appointed prophets to proclaim concerning you at Jerusalem, saying, There is a king in Judah. Now these matters will be reported to the king, so come therefore, and let us consult together. This section is a threat to manipulate Nehemiah to come.

Taking notes on the handout and filling in blanks. Threat manipulate. A threat to manipulate Nehemiah to come. If you're taking notes on the handout and filling in blanks. Threat manipulate.

A threat to manipulate Nehemiah to come. This is attempt number five And they're really turning up the heat. The polite invitation, all four of them, have failed. And so now in the fifth one, they're getting right to the point. And it's Ezra chapter 4 all over again.

They're exploiting Jerusalem's reputation as a rebellious city. They are taking the history of Jerusalem and using it as a tool to accuse Nehemiah. And Geshum is putting his name behind the accusation. They say, everybody has heard this. It is reported among the nations, and Geshum says.

So you actually have a leader of the Arabs who's willing to put his name behind these accusations. So they relate in this letter a rumor which is really a thinly veiled accusation. This is how you do it. This is how you accuse without accusing, as you say. We've heard out there, and then the accusation.

First, it's in an open letter. This is highly unusual in diplomatic endeavors. The way it's supposed to work is you send the communication, it's rolled up, and it's sealed. So that the confidentiality is secured, and the authenticity is secured. You're sealing it with your seal.

When the seal is not broken, you know it's remained secure and it's really from him. Now what is sent isn't a rolled up sealed communication, it's an open letter. Open letters then as well as now are meant as much for the public or more to the public than they are to the person to which it's addressed. And they're used to move someone through pressure. So it's an intimidation tactic.

They say there's a reason for the building of the wall. We know the reason. It's so you can make yourself king. All these noble things that you're saying, That's not you want to be king. Furthermore, Nehemiah, we know that you've done something towards that end.

You've hired prophets to proclaim you as king. This is how it worked with many or most of Israel's kings, the kings of Judah. In 1 Samuel 10, the prophet Samuel proclaims Saul king. In 1 Samuel 16, the prophet Samuel proclaims David king. In 1 Kings 11, a prophet proclaims Jeroboam king.

In 2 Kings 9, a prophet proclaims Yehu king. And etc. Etc. Etc. This is how it's done.

The prophet proclaims you king, then you take up the mantle and you're the king. And they're saying you hired prophets to do this, to proclaim you as the king. Here's the irony, they themselves later in the chapter are going to hire prophets. Nehemiah never would have done this. They're totally hypocritical in this, and we shouldn't miss the irony.

Next week they'll be doing exactly what they're accusing Nehemiah of. The message to Nehemiah is this, Nehemiah you're in big trouble. Come talk to us before the king hears or before we're duty bound to report it to him. Come, we can work this out. You're in huge trouble, but we can work together on solving this.

Come meet with us. Now think about this from Nehemiah's perspective. The charge is high treason. The charge is not jaywalking. You walked across the street when there was a red light.

The charge is treason. A governor who proclaims himself king will probably lose his life if he is found guilty of that. So this is not a small thing. If the charges are believed, if they bring charges and they are believed, he will probably lose his life. So they have really raised the stakes to the ceiling.

Hard to imagine how they could raise them any further. Now back to the text in verses 8 and 9. E.M.I. Chapter 6 verse 8. Then I sent to him saying, No such things as you say are being done, but you invent them in your own heart.

They were all trying to make us afraid, saying their hands will be weakened in the work, and it will not be done. Now therefore, O God, strengthen my hands." In this section we have the right response to man and God. If you're filling in blanks, response, man. The right response to man and God. Nehemiah really has three choices.

The first choice is just not to respond, to stay silent. The second choice is to panic and respond in a way that gives legitimacy to this alternate reality. If he panics and he responds to the charge of high treason, what he's essentially doing is giving legitimacy to an alternate reality, to the parallel universe that has been created by his enemies. The facts are on his side. He came to Jerusalem with A letter from the king authorizing him to do what they're doing.

He has a letter in hand. He doesn't have to panic. The facts are on his side. He doesn't have to lend legitimacy to this crazy story of San-Balat, Tobiah, and Geshim. Thirdly, he can respond in a way that simply calls things what they are and put the enemies of God on notice.

And this is what he does. In his response, he calls things what they are. It will not do to say, this is all an honest mistake. It won't do to say that. It's not an honest mistake.

He knows it's not an honest mistake. So The option that he takes is just to call things what they are. You are lying. It's really hard to do that. Even when you know for sure it's happening, it's really hard to say, this is based on lies and falsehood.

But that's what Nehemiah has the courage to do. He lets all the enemies know that he sees exactly what's going on, and he calls them the liars that they are. Verse 8, you invent them in your own heart. The Hebrew word behind invent literally means to form or to fashion like a potter. You're crafting this like a potter shapes the clay.

Shapes the clay. You're fashioning all these things like an artist, like a craftsman. This is the right response to people who are the enemies of God's work, who are lying in order to manipulate you. It's hard to think this is the right response. It seems so ungracious.

This is how you respond to people who are the enemies of God who are lying to manipulate you. You call what is what it is. And you call them on it. In verse 9, Nehemiah states what his enemies had hoped to do to weaken their hands for the work, to cause these Accusations of high treason to paralyze everyone. For fear that the fist of the King of Persia would come down on Jerusalem.

That's the attempt being made. To frighten them from finishing the work that God has given them to do. Nehemiah states what they had hoped to do, to weaken their hands for the work. And he prays that God would do the exact opposite. God, they're trying to weaken our hands, strengthen our hands.

Flip their evil intent on its head. They wanted to paralyze us, supercharge us, God, for the work. Strengthen our hands. Make us strong for the work that you've given us to do. It is true that the pressure of conflict can be paralyzing.

If you've ever been in conflict, significant conflict, you know that's true. The pressure of conflict can be paralyzing and extremely discouraging. It can weaken your hands for the work. You say, where is God? I'm trying to stand for Him.

I'm trying to stand for righteousness. The arrows are coming in from every side. Where is God? You either then choose to curl up into the fetal position and feel sorry for yourself, or you cry out to God. Those are pretty much your options.

Nehemiah cries out. Nehemiah is not about to curl up in an infeetal position. Feel sorry for himself. He cries out to God. My guess is, God has proven himself faithful to Nehemiah a thousand times.

He knows if he cries out, God will be faithful just one more time. Applications. I have five. Four typed in one handwritten. I couldn't resist adding in number five.

Number one, more faithfulness equals more opposition, not less. More faithfulness equals more opposition, not less. When you're a young Christian, you don't understand that, but that is so true. You get that, right? Friends?

We have to ask ourselves, is my message ever threatening? Is my message, the words in my mouth, is anyone ever threatened by that? If the answer is no, that's a problem. I'm not saying we should go and purposefully make ourselves obnoxious to people. That's not what I'm saying.

I'm just saying that faithful words get you in a lot of trouble. The words of the gospel get you in a lot of trouble. The words about the goodness of God in your life, what God requires of man, get you into trouble. The more faithful you are with your words, you'll get more opposition, not less. Is your life ever threatening to anyone?

Without even saying a word, are you threatening to people because of how you conduct yourself? The answer is always no. No one's ever threatened by my life, there's probably a problem. You need to grow in Faithfulness. Faithfulness is a great way to live.

It's a lousy way to avoid conflict. Anyone who's grown knows that. You're happier the more faithful you are. You don't have less conflict. It's a lousy way to avoid conflict.

Number two, perception is not reality. Reality is reality. We cannot be governed by how things might be perceived. You'll be paralyzed. The minute the enemies of God understand that you navigate by how things are perceived, they are going to perceive things in a light that manipulates you.

So that's a proverb of the world. Perception is reality. That's not true. There are some principles that you can pull out of that in order to live in wisdom. That much is true.

But perception isn't reality. Reality is reality. And if you are navigating by how things might be perceived, you'll never be faithful. Be faithful. Number three.

Consider Matthew 10 verse 16. Jesus says to his twelve disciples, I send you out as sheep among wolves. It's a dangerous world out there. This describes Christians, sheep among wolves. They play by rules you would never play by.

They'll bite you in a heartbeat. They'll devour you if they can. So be wise as serpents, innocent as doves. Most of us find that we're okay in the wisdom. We could grow, but we're okay there, but we're not as innocent as we should be.

Or, we're okay in being innocent, we're not likely to lash out or treat people wrongly, but we're not very wise. Most of us find ourselves having a sort of an inclination towards one or the other of these. It's good to know. It's good to just ask yourself that question. Am I more wise as a serpent or more innocent as a dove so we can start closing the gaps?

We can start shoring up our weaknesses. We're in a dangerous world, Christians are, full of wolves. We need to be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. We cannot afford to give the benefit of the doubt to our proven enemies. They'll eat you alive.

Number four. When your enemy invites you to a place of vulnerability, how will you answer him? The invitation is coming. Come out to the far reaches, to the border town. The place where you've fallen a hundred times, maybe a thousand times, in the sin.

It's the place of your vulnerability. You're going to get an invite, probably this week, to the place of your greatest vulnerability. You know it. When the invite comes, how will you respond? Nehemiah said, I'm busy, I'm working, I'm doing a great work.

I'm doing the right thing in the right way for the glory of God, and I cannot, I do not have time for you. That's how we should respond to you. The invite's coming this week, friends, to the place of vulnerability, to the border town. It's been a problem for you a thousand times over. How will you answer?

Number five, Consider the pitiable state of those who are at war with God. It's easy to miss this one, come away from the text and not think about this at all. But consider the pitiable state of those who are at war with God. Sanballat's at war with God, Tobiah's at war with God, Geshen the Arab is at war with God. Consider this pitiable state where you're at war with the God of the universe.

How will you win this war? They're messing around in the micro. God is the macro. They are messing around with these little things about whether you can keep Jerusalem under your thumb. Meanwhile, The God of the universe is your enemy.

And they can't see it. And so they wage war against the Lord's people. Friends, especially the younger ones here, it never starts this way. It becomes that way, degree at a time, step at a time, where our hunt for consistency forces us down a track. You either repent and believe, or you have to go further and further away to quiet your conscience.

Do you understand that? This is how you end up in this pitiable place where you would want to murder Nehemiah. It happens over a thousand days. Not over one day. But you set a trajectory by Will you repent and believe?

If you won't, you have to keep moving further away. Because that question will always dog you. The closer you are to the question, you have to push the question away. And you end up in outright, blatant war against God. It just begins so secretly in your heart and no one else knows, but that's not where it will end.

There's a trajectory here that lands you where these men are who are fighting against God. Don't put your feet on that trajectory. Repent and believe the Gospel. Jesus died for sinners. You can be free from your sin today.

The preachers of The Gospel in the New Testament said, today is the day of salvation. Gospel preachers through the ages have said the same thing. Today, don't wait another day to repent and believe. Let's pray. Father, I thank you for our study of Nehemiah.

I'm finding myself helped week after week by week as we work through these texts. Thank you for helping us to show how we should live in this world as sheep, in this world surrounded by wolves, how to be wise and innocent at the same time. I thank you for a good example in Nehemiah. We can come sit on the front row and observe Him navigating in this world in a way that brings you glory. Thank you in Jesus' name, Amen.