(Re)-Building Programs 101

Scripture Nehemiah 1:1-4a

C.I.: Getting Your Security Back

Last week we began a new series of lessons…. – When Nebuchadnezzar, king of the Babylonians defeated the nation of Judah, he destroyed the temple, tore down the wall around Jerusalem and burned its gates with fire! Jerusalem was a mess!!! – The purpose of “walls” is to provide security. –Today we'll learn how to get it back. – The principles we will learn will be true in any area of insecurity; financial, emotional, relational, or spiritual!

I. Steps to (Re)-Building the Walls of Our Security, (Nehemiah 1-6)

•  Step #1: Accept that there is a Problem

•  From our Scripture Reading we see that Nehemiah learns of the problem.

a. There is no dealing with a problem that a person is unaware that they have.
1) American Cancer Society (slide) = 7 early warning signs of cancer; American Heart Assoc…!
2) The same can be said of marriages, children on drugs, your investments, relationship w/God!!!

2. The scriptures are replete with warnings for us to be paying attention…
a. ( II Cor. 13:5 ), “Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith, Examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize….”
b. ( I Thess. 5:21 ), “But examine everything carefully; hold fast to that which is good.”


B. Step #2: Determine Your Part in the Problem

1. At the heart of all of our problems there is SIN!
a. ( Neh. 1:6-7 ), “Let Your ear be attentive and Your eyes be open to hear the prayer of Your servant which I am
praying before You now … confessing the sins of the sons of Israel which we have sinned against You; I and my
father's house have sinned.” – (Because of their idolatry Jerusalem's walls came down!)
b. In our lives, we must be brutally honest with ourselves - at ferreting out any sin that exist!!!
1) My “words”: Lying? Arrogance? Profanity? Anger? Etc.
2) My “Actions”: Drugs/Alcohol? Stealing (time, money, etc.)? Sexual Immorality? Etc.
3) “Do I justify myself - and not hold myself accountable/responsible?”
c. The source of our sin problem is Satan, ( Eph. 6:12 ).
1) Both Satan & God have those who those who serve them – but these are not the issue!
2) We must never blame others (parents, peers, etc.) – for the decisions we ourselves make!!!
3) “Your past may explain you – but it doesn't lock you in!!!”

C. Step #3: Seek the Assistance of those in Authority

1. Employers, bankers, judges, leaders in the Lord's church, etc.; all may be needed to rebuild our security.
a. Specific Request: ( Neh. 2:4-5 ), “Then the king said to me, ‘What would you request?' So I prayed to the God of
heaven. – Then I said to the king, ‘If it please the king, and if your servant has found favor before you, send me to
Judah, to the city of my fathers' tombs, that I may rebuild it.'” – We all serve before two thrones!!
b. Know the timing: ( v. 6 ), “Then the king said to me, ‘How long will your journey be, and when will you return?'
So it pleased the king to send me, and I gave him a definite time.”
c. Anticipate your needs: ( vs. 7-8 ), “And I said to the king, ‘If it please the king, let letters be given me for
the governors of the provinces beyond the river, that they may allow me to pass through until I come to
Judah, - and a letter to Asaph the keeper of the king's forest, that he may give me timber …for the wall
of the city.' – And the king granted them to me because the good hand of my God was upon him.”

D. Step #4: Determine the Extent of the Problem & Delegate the Work to All Involved

1. We want to “gloss over” problems ( maybe they will go away ), but we & others need to work to change things.
a. ( 2:15-17 ), “So I went up at night by the ravine and inspected the wall.” – And I told the people, ‘You see the bad
situation we are in, that Jerusalem is desolate and its gates burned by fire. – Come let us rebuild the wall of
Jerusalem … Then they said, ‘Let us arise and build.' So they put their hands to the good work.”
1) Many of the problems that we face today - involves others.
2) Therefore, the solution to these problems will require the assistance of all who are involved.
b. Since all of God's people were impacted by not having the security of a wall around Jerusalem, all of
them were involved in the work of erecting the wall (see chapter 3).

E. Step #5: Deal with Troubles Associated with Rebuilding

•  Ridicule: ( 4:1-3 ), “Now it came about when Sanballat heard we were rebuilding the wall, he became furious and angry and mocked the Jews. – And he spoke in the presence of his brothers and the wealthy men of Samaria and said, ‘What are these feeble Jews doing? Are they going to restore it for themselves? Can they offer sacrifices? Can they finish in a day? Can they revive the stones from the dusty rubble even the burned ones? – Now Tobiah the Ammonite was near him and said, ‘Even what they are building – if a fox should jump upon it, he would break their stone wall down.'”
a. We used to say, “Sticks and stones…” – but too often today people are afraid of what others may say!
b. ( Matt. 5:11-12 ), “Blessed are you when men cast insults at you, and persecute you, and say all manner of evil
against you falsely on account of Me. – Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great, for so they….”

•  Conspiracy: ( 4:7-8 ), “And it came about when Sanballat and Tobiah, the Arabs, the Ammonites, and the Ashdodites heard that the repair of the walls of Jerusalem went on, and that the breaches began to be closed, they were very angry. – And all of them conspired together to come and fight against Jerusalem and to cause a disturbance within it.”
a. Wouldn't it be wonderful if everyone worked to support us in our efforts – but that is not the reality!
1) Following God's plan – will ALWAYS trump the conspiracies of others, ( Pro. 16:3 ), “Commit your
works to the Lord, and your plans will be established.”
2) So we should not be surprised to find God's people praying, ( Neh. 4:9 ), “But we prayed to our God, and
because of them we set up a guard against them day and night.”

•  Discouragement: ( 4:10 ), “In Judah it was said, ‘The strength of the burden bearers is failing, yet there is much rubbish; - and we ourselves are unable to rebuild the wall.” – Note: this was said in Judah by God's people – not their enemies!!!
a. Discouragement is faith that gets tired of waiting for things to change! – The antidote is encouragement!
1) ( Job 6:14 ), “For the despairing man there should be kindness from his friend….”
2) ( Heb. 3:13 ), “Let us encourage one another day after day, as long as it is called, ‘today'; lest….”

•  Intimidation: ( 4:11-12 ), “Our enemies said, ‘They will not know or see until we come among them, and kill them, and put a stop to the work.' – And it came about when the Jews who lived near them came and told us ten times, ‘They will come up against us from every place where you may turn.'”
1) Satan doesn't want you to feel secure in any area of your life (marriage, family, job, or God!).
2) So what do we do when someone tries to bully us??! – Well, you don't stop workin and doing what is
right – But you also prepare for them if they try to come after you! - ( v. 17 ), “Those who were rebuilding
the wall and those who carried burdens took their load with one hand doing the work and the other hand holding a
weapon.”

•  Internal Strife: ( 5:1-8 ), Now there was a great outcry of the people and of their wives against their Jewish brothers … Now I was very angry when I heard their outcry and these words. – And I consulted with myself, and contended with the nobles and the rulers and said to them, ‘You are exacting usury, each from his brother!'”
a. The people were being forced to sell their fields AND their children to pay back their loans to the wealthy!
1) When we fight together against a common problem – we gain victory and draw closer to each other.
2) But when we fight against each other – we are giving our enemy the upper hand!
3) Let us NEVER be the cause of such division, ( Pro. 6:16-19 ), “There are six things the Lord hates, yes,
seven which are an abomination to Him: …One who spreads strife among brothers!”
4) ( Gal. 5:19-21 ), “Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: …outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions,
factions,… and things like these of which I forewarn you just as I have forewarned you that those who practice
such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.”
b. We can defeat any common problem – just so long as we don not first defeat ourselves!!!

F. Victory!

1. When we approach our problems (e.g., lack of security) by following God's principles – His outcome = victory!
a. ( 6:15-16 ), “So the wall was completed … in 52 days! – And it came about when all of our enemies heard of it, and all
the nations surrounding us saw it, they lost their confidence; for they recognized that this work had been accomplished
with the help of our God.”
1) God's people are always promised victory – when we do God's will God's way, ( I Jn. 5:4 )!
2) Clearly, the victory we have in the realm of our security with the Lord is founded upon the same thing!
3) ( I Jn. 5:13 ), “These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, in order that you may
KNOW that you have eternal life!”

CONCLUSIONS:

1. The insecure person is often wracked with bouts of doubt and depression. – They never experience the joy that comes from
knowing the security that is found in Jesus!

2. If you are one of our guests today, Jesus wants you to experience this same level of joy which comes from a secure relationship with Him. In order that you may have it, He says to you, “The one who has believed and has been baptized shall be saved, but the one who disbelieves shall be condemned,” ( Mark 16:16 ).