10/01/2023 = World Communion Sunday = Nehemiah 6:1-16 = Kingdom Construction: "Ono! Won't Go! I Know!"

lidgerwoodpresbychurch

Oct 1

(Click HERE to find the Facebook Live Stream of this service - starts at 11:00, sermon at 49:00)

(Click HERE to donate to Lidgerwood Church's mission and ministries - THANK YOU for your generosity!)

Mark Wheeler

Nehemiah 6:1-14

10/01/2023

"Kingdom Construction: Ono! Won't Go! I Know!"

Lidgerwood Presbyterian Church

Good morning, Church Family! It is so good to be together with you this morning! In this life so filled with complications and complexities, it is very good to find a moment that feels more restful and safe – like church….

Insurance decisions and insurance battles when something happens … Technology problems and updates that seem to make life harder rather than simpler. Health problems, billing difficulties, plumbing leaks, car crashes, lost passwords, etc etc etc.

But, guess what – even church families have dysfunctions and difficult relationships! Even Houses of Worship need to set up security systems. Administration responsibilities fill a day when pastoring people is our calling.

So, who do you like for our next President? or Mayor? Or School Board member? There are pretty important decisions, aren't they?
We have problems with the economy, the pandemic, oil prices, corruption, roads, utilities – even the weather!

The problems facing our next leaders are complex – more than any one man or woman can handle with their own wisdom.

We find a similar situation in the case of Nehemiah, who was given the challenge of rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem about 2,500 years ago. That's a long time ago, but in this ancient story, we can also find help for the contemporary problems of our next President and Mayor and School Boards.

And not only that, each of us here can find help for our own personal problems: all of us have (or will have) damaged areas of our lives; weak areas where we are easily attacked by Satan.

Now, maybe you haven't yet experienced this sort of thing in your Christian life, but you will! The Apostle Paul reminds us in Ephesians 6:12, "Our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms …."
And the spiritual forces of evil that were attacking Christians in Paul's time, were the same spiritual forces that attacked God's people in Nehemiah's time; and they are the very same spiritual forces of evil that are attacking Christians today – in our time.

And the strategies those spiritual forces used against God's people back then are still being used against Christians today.

And the principles that God's people used back then to overcome the attacks of Satan we can also use in our lives today.

In the book of Nehemiah, we learn that Satan attacks God's people in two main ways:
The first way he attacks us is described in 1 Peter 5:8 – the devil attacks us "like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour."

Now, a lion is a very powerful, very dangerous animal. One bite from a lion's jaws can snap your thigh bone like a pencil. If a lion hit you with his paw, your head would be crushed like an egg!

You know the old joke: Q: Where does a lion sit when he watches TV? A: Anywhere he wants!

If a lion could talk, we'd do whatever he said! Because we'd be too afraid not to. And this is how Satan attacks us: He frightens us into doing what he wants. We're too afraid not to. Satan uses threats from people, loss of income, loneliness, and many other things to fill our hearts with fear.

We get too afraid to do God's will; too afraid to live our Christian lives; too afraid to defend our faith! And we end up doing what Satan wants us to do, because he used our own fear to bully and threaten and intimidate and harass us into it.

But Satan attacks us in another way too: the second way he attacks us is described in II Corinthians 11:14 – Satan "masquerades as an angel of light." Or, as the Message translates it: "Satan does it all the time, dressing up as a beautiful angel of light. So it shouldn't surprise us when his servants masquerade as servants of God."

This is the theme of today's passage in Nehemiah 6.

As we join together in worship be ready to be inspired by God's Word, find reasons to confess sinful attitudes, and worship our-always-victorious God!

2 Join in as Ashley Davis leads us in our Call to Worship – from Psalm 67

3 And our Prelude of Praise and Worship –– #4 … Father, I Adore You –

4 Good morning Friends! Welcome to worship at Lidgerwood!! Shalom Aleichem! May the peace of Christ be with you!

As we worship this morning we again welcome Michelina Tyrie to our piano while Julie and Dick enjoy their time in Oregon!

Welcome, friends, from around the world, to this worshipping community!

Be filled with God's Holy Spirit presence and power, in your homes, through your phones and computers, in this building here, and in your lives. Pray with us … and hear and be transformed by God's Word.

5 This morning our Chancel Choir leads us into worship with this beautiful Choral Anthem: "Jesus, What a Beautiful Name"

6 Children's Message

7 Ashley opens our Prayer time in Confession and Thanksgiving

8 Gloria Patri

9-12 Mark receives the praises, thanksgivings, adorations, concerns and prays [The Lord's Prayer]

14-17 Please stand as you are able as we sing ourSong of Devotion and Preparation to receive God's Word – pay special attention to the lyrics that call us to action as we participate in Kingdom Construction - #43 – A Mighty Fortress Is Our God.

In Nehemiah 4, we saw three guys, Sanballat, Tobiah, and Geshem attacking Nehemiah and the workers. First, they mocked and ridiculed and laughed at the workers; but, when the work continued, they threatened them with physical violence; but the work still continued, so, in chapter 6, they try to stop the work by using friendliness and persuasion.

Nehemiah 6:1-4 …. ----

¹When Sanballat, Tobiah, Geshem the Arab, and the rest of our enemies heard that I had rebuilt the wall and that no gap was left in it—though at that time I had not installed the doors in the city gates— ²Sanballat and Geshem sent me a message: "Come, let's meet together in the villages of the Ono Valley." (I love it when a Bible place name has easy English language meanings that don't really apply, but that sound like they could – "Oh No! Valley" …. And then Nehemiah tells us what he sees as the real motive -) They were planning to harm me.

³So I sent messengers to them, saying, "I am doing important work and cannot come down. Why should the work cease while I leave it and go down to you?" ⁴Four times they sent me the same proposal, and I gave them the same reply. (Ono! Won't Go!)

They couldn't stop the work of God with their threats and attacks, so they changed their strategy: All of a sudden, these guys are acting like Nehemiah's best friends: "Hey, Nehemiah, come meet us at Starbuck's, you know, the one in Ono – let's talk."

We will also experience this when we try to correct things that are wrong in our life. It's very possible that when we try to change our life for the better that our friends will become our biggest adversaries. Many people today are failing in their Christian journey because they listen to the advice of their friends. Many people today are stunted in their spiritual growth because their friends discourage them from changing. And it sounds like good advice because so many people follow it, and they're not "evil" people. But the advice might be totally wrong – advice from Satan.

So, they invite Nehemiah down for a little meeting but Nehemiah senses danger: "they were scheming to harm me," he says. These enemies of Jerusalem had a lot to lose if those city's walls get rebuilt; Nehemiah knows this, so he sends his reply: "Sorry, guys! I'm right in the middle of something."

Actually, what Nehemiah says is, "I'm doing something for God and if I leave, it might not get done." Four times they ask him to come and four times he says, "Sorry, I'm doing something for God and if I leave, it might not get done."

One of the most effective ways to resist temptation is to remember that God has called each of us to do something for Him. This is true of every believer in Christ – No matter how young or old, educated or uneducated, rich or poor, God has a job for you to do in the work of His Church and in His world!

And there will be temptations for you to do something that interferes with or threatens your work for the Kingdom of God: Someone wants you to do something for them; someone wants you to join them in a new business idea; someone wants you to lie for them; someone wants you to go somewhere with them. And if you do, your work for God will be threatened. At those times, your response should be the same as Nehemiah's: "Sorry, I'm doing something for God and if I do what you're asking, it might not get done."

A little over 15 years ago an incredible project that was coming to Spokane. The International Bible Society printed New Testaments, specifically for Spokane – pictures of Spokane on the cover, stories of Spokanites inside, and the possibility of reaching 200,000 homes.

In Spokane, on any given weekend, year-round, the last statistic I saw, 17% of the homes go to a Christian church. 17%! That leaves 83% of our neighbors (and family members) who do not have a regular church home with which to hear the Gospel and be nurtured in their faith. The International Bible Society offered to help us reach these people at a cost of $2/household! But here's the most amazing part of the story: The Spokesman-Review had offered to help by allowing us to insert the Bibles in their newspaper and be delivered directly to people's doors!

A little later The Spokesman-Review reneged on that promise. It was an election year, blah, blah, blah. And, we didn't raise the required money for 200,000 New Testaments.

So, I believe God called the churches of Spokane to work together to deliver over 80,000 New Testaments to our neighbors. Lidgerwood Presbyterian Church has approximately 2,000 neighbors in just the several blocks that surround this building. That's over 1,600 homes that don't have a church! Several of us didn't let anyone/thing convince us that we couldn't/shouldn't be a part of this outreach to our neighbors. "Sorry, I'm doing something for God and if I do what you're asking, it might not get done."

Now, it's not like Nehemiah's enemies were saying, "Hey, Nehemiah! Come down here to the Ono Valley so we can kill you." Quite the opposite, their offer seems to promise peace and support. And in the same way, the Devil is not going to tempt us by saying, "Hey, do this so your faith will be destroyed and you'll go to Hell when you die."
No! He is much cleverer than that! Instead, the temptation will sometimes sound good and look good – or at least it'll look harmless.

And remember that they ask Nehemiah four times! When we get nagged enough, we sometimes give in. Keep focused. "Sorry, I'm doing something for God and if I do what you're asking, it might not get done."

And if we can't think of our specific job in the Kingdom of God, then remember that all Christians have at least two jobs: 1) To grow in your faith and 2) To tell others what Jesus has done for you. Our Vision Statement says just that: Know the power and love of God, and Grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ, compelling us to Go in the footsteps of the Holy Spirit, loving and serving others who don't yet Know the power and love of God ….

Well, back in the book of Nehemiah. When the work of God still continues, even after this clever attack by Satan, he switches back to his original strategy of threats and slander and violence:

Nehemiah 6:5-7 …. ----

⁵Sanballat sent me this same message a fifth time by his aide, who had an open letter in his hand. ⁶In it was written:

It is reported among the nations—and Geshem agrees—that you and the Jews plan to rebel. This is the reason you are building the wall. According to these reports, you are to become their king ⁷and have even set up the prophets in Jerusalem to proclaim on your behalf, "There is a king in Judah."

These rumors will be heard by the king. So come, let's confer together.

Now, this really cracks me up: Look who Sanballat names as his confirming witness: His buddy, Geshem the Arab!

This would be like if I said, "Whitworth University is the best university in the Spokane – right Caitlin and Brianna and Andrew? (who have six degrees among them!)" Or: "Rosauer's is the best store in the area – right Julie?" Or: "Lidgerwood is the best church ever – right Carol?" Or: "Lutefisk is the best lunch ever – right Joanne?" Here's Sanballat, saying, "Hey, Nehemiah, we heard you're making yourself king and you're rejecting king Artaxerxes — right Geshem?"

I John 4:5 — "They are from the world and therefore speak from the viewpoint of the world … and the world listens to them."

This is so true: The world listens to itself. The world confirms its own false beliefs.

Let's see how Nehemiah responds to this: Nehemiah 6:8-9 …. ----

⁸Then I replied to him, "There is nothing to these rumors you are spreading; you are inventing them in your own mind." ⁹For they were all trying to intimidate us, saying, "They will drop their hands from the work, and it will never be finished."

(And, another prayer:) But now, my God, strengthen my hands.

You see, Sanballat's idea was to make the people believe that Nehemiah had some hidden motivation for rebuilding the wall – like becoming king of Judah. They hoped that the workers would then rebel and quit.

The first response Nehemiah makes is simply to deny it. And that's the great thing about being a man or woman of integrity: you have nothing to hide and nothing to fear.

The second response Nehemiah makes is to pray: "Lord, don't let our hands get weak. Help us to continue the work." What a simple prayer. What a practical prayer. When you're being attacked by Satan, you don't need to pray long, eloquent prayers: "Oh my great God of heaven, I beseech Thee to pour forth Thy faithful protection on my soul, oh my shield and bulwark …." No! We don't need to go to any special place – God is everywhere. And we don't need to say any special words – God already knows what we need.

When Satan attacks us, try praying like Nehemiah: Simply and practically. Just tell God what you need: "Lord, don't let my hands get weak. Help me to continue the work."

So – this strategy doesn't work for the Enemy either, so once again he tries something else: Trickery. Verses 10-13 …. ----

¹⁰I went to the house of Shemaiah son of Delaiah, son of Mehetabel, who was restricted to his house. He said: Let's meet at the house of God, inside the temple.
Let's shut the temple doors because they're coming to kill you. They're coming to kill you tonight!

¹¹But I said, "Should a man like me run away? How can someone like me enter the temple & live? I will not go." ¹²I realized that God had not sent him, because of the prophecy he spoke against me. Tobiah & Sanballat had hired him. ¹³He was hired, so that I would be intimidated, do as he suggested, sin, & get a bad reputation, in order that they could discredit me.

This word comes as a warning, from a "friend". What he says sounds logical: "Some people are out to get you. They are going to kill you." He didn't have to convince Nehemiah of this! So Shemaiah says, "Let's go up and hide in the Temple. They won't dare attack you there."

But Nehemiah refuses Shemaiah's invitation on two grounds: First, it would be wrong for him, the governor, to run away! What if North Korea attacked the U.S. today and President Biden said, "It's every man for himself," and took the next plane to Switzerland? He can't do that!

And Nehemiah couldn't just run and hide when the work in Jerusalem was being attacked.

Second, Nehemiah refuses Shemaiah's invitation because he knows the Law of God about the Temple. The Temple building itself was reserved for worship and the inner part of the Temple building was reserved for priests only because it was the Holy of Holies, where the presence of God was.

In Numbers 18:7, God is speaking to Aaron and He says: "But only you and your sons may serve as priests in connection with everything at the altar and inside the curtain. I am giving you the service of the priesthood as a gift. Anyone else who comes near the sanctuary must be put to death."

So Nehemiah realizes that a true friend and Israelite would never say anything that contradicted God's Word. God's Word says that the Temple is for worship and if you weren't a priest that you could not go into the Holy of Holies. And Nehemiah was not a priest, but here is this "friend" telling him, "Let's to go into the Temple and shut the doors behind us!" So Nehemiah said, "No way!"

Again, Sanballat and the others had hired Shemaiah to trick him into sinning against the Lord. If Nehemiah had gone into the Temple, Sanballat would have said to the people of Jerusalem: "Look at your leader – hiding in the Temple, breaking your own laws. He doesn't care about you, he just cares about himself. If you break the law, see what'll happen to you, but he breaks it whenever he wants …."

We must also be aware of this kind of attack in our lives today. Just because someone is our friend doesn't mean that his or her advice is good for us. But, as we're told in I John chapter 4: "Test the spirits." Test the advice that others give you. And what's the test? Hold it up next to the Word of God. If it matches, if it fits, then it's good advice. But if the advice we receive does not fit within the guidelines given in God's Word, then it's not good advice. In fact, it's very possibly Satanic advice.

Philippians 1:27 — "Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ." We are called to walk with God.

You are a Christian, a child of God. You belong to Him. People who are not Christians are not children of God. You are therefore living at a different level than those around you.

Henry David Thoreau once wrote: "If a person does not keep in step with others, it may be because he is listening to a different drum beat." He walks to the beat of a different drummer.

A Christian listens to a different drum beat than the world listens to. Christians follow their Lord, not the advice of non-Christians. The message of the cross is foolishness to those who are not saved. They don't understand our actions. They don't understand our motives. They don't understand our values. They don't understand our basic assumptions about this life and the life to come. When a cashier gives us too much change, just watch her face when you give it back.

One last verse: verse 14 …. ----

(This passage closes with yet another Nehemiac prayer:) ¹⁴My God, remember Tobiah and Sanballat for what they have done, and also the prophetess Noadiah and the other prophets who wanted to intimidate me.

Once again, Nehemiah responds to the attack of Satan with prayer.

I wish that we would all learn this lesson: God has given every Christian two resources to guide us on our Christian journey: The Bible and Prayer. Are you making use of these resources? Or are they unused ornaments? They are just as available to us today as they were to Nehemiah. We can be just as successful as he was if we make use of them.

Great God of Creation, we worship You in spirit and in truth.

Lead us into our next chapter of ministry in NE Spokane with hearts that believe in the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Prepare us for Your Kingdom Construction and everything You would have us do and be here at LPC. Confirm Your direction with joy and hope.

In Jesus' authority. Amen.

26 Receive our tithes and offerings as symbols of our very lives and livelihood, given as response to Your life given for us! Bless it, and by it bless the world around us. In Christ's name, Amen.

– Offering (4449 N Nevada St, Spokane, 99207 ; or click HERE, or text 833-976-1333, code "Lidgerwood")

28 Communion Hymn #776 – Let Us Break Bread Together!

29 Sacrament of Holy Communion

30-33 Expedition Song #9 – Sing Praise to the Father!

34 Benediction: May we Grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ.
Be filled with God's Holy Spirit. And give glory to God, today, and forever! Amen.

"May the Lord bless you and protect you; may the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; may the Lord look with favor on you and give you peace."

35 Announcements