Brick by Brick : Nehemiah 4

It's my privilege to be able to lead us as we come to God's Word together. Let's pray as we open the Bible today. God, we thank you for this opportunity to gather. Lord, we thank you for the people of God that you have drawn together today. We pray that as we come now to your word, that you would speak to us, that we would come with hearts that are ready, ears that are open, and minds that are flexible to hear what you would say to us.

And so we ask you this in Jesus name, Amen. I reckon about 10 years ago, I had a performance appraisal at my job. And if you've been through a performance appraisal, some of you have to go through them yearly. I went through one ten years ago and I think that was the last one I've been through, but I still remember it because it was one of those 360 reviews. I don't know if those are still done, but it was popular at the time where feedback is given by the staff that you manage, the staff at your level, the staff, the member of staff that manages you, and you get this picture of your performance.

I still have quite a vivid image in my mind of getting that feedback, because there were pages and pages of information. There were graphs, there was written comments. The overwhelming response was really positive, much more positive than I think my performance warranted, to be honest, but it was really positive. And there was some constructive feedback, which was great. But in the midst of that, there was a negative comment there, a criticism that I felt was inaccurate, that I felt was unfair.

And the remarkable thing is that all these years later, I could not tell you a single bit of the positive feedback. I could not tell you a single point. I couldn't even really tell you the theme of it. I don't remember any of that. But what I do remember is that criticism, that piece of feedback that I received that I thought was unfair.

Now, if you're waiting with bated breath to hear what that was, I'm not going to tell you. You can come and chat with me about the sermon at the end. But if you've ever faced criticism in whatever context, you're not alone. Psychologists actually have a term for the way that criticism grabs our attention. They call it negativity bias.

There was a study, a really important study called Bad Is Stronger Than Good, which found. The researchers found that negative emotions, events and feedback consistently have a greater impact on us than positive ones. And it also found that in close relationships, it takes about five positive interactions to counteract the impact of just one negative interaction. So the next time you correct your spouse on how to pack the dishwasher, you need to make sure you line up five positive things to say to them at the same time. But neurologists actually found that criticism activates the same regions of our brain as physical pain.

In other words, harsh words or critical words actually hurt us. Now, I suspect for many of you, you could think to a time where criticism from someone has stuck in your mind. It's really easy for it to lodge itself there, to lodge itself in your mind and your heart and have a really profound impact on you. I suspect some of us who are here today are still grappling with critical words or negative things that were said to us years ago, perhaps where someone important in our lives hurt us. Oftentimes the effect of criticism is discouragement.

Another piece of research found that discouragement is actually contagious. They describe this phenomena called emotional contagion, and they highlighted that in teams, in workplaces, I'd suggest even in families, one persistently discouraging voice can drag down the morale, the focus and the collaboration of an entire team. Now, I suspect many of us have seen that in our workplaces as well. Maybe some of us find ourselves naturally inclined to be that person. Maybe it's something you're experiencing even today in a relationship or in your workplace.

We're turning to Nehemiah chapter four together today. So if you have your Bibles with you, we're going to come to the book of Nehemiah. If you've missed the first three weeks of our series, as we've been working through this book, verse by verse and chapter by chapter, let me just really quickly remind you of where we find ourselves. So in Nehemiah, chapter one, we find that Nehemiah is in the palace of Susa, some 1500 kilometers away from Jerusalem. And news comes to him that says the walls of Jerusalem are, are still in rubble.

And this is an issue. It causes disgrace to God's people. It leaves them under the threat of attack. And Nehemiah is really, really saddened by this. And so he prays and God uses him and he returns to Jerusalem and he starts the work of rebuilding.

He gathers the people and together they begin to rebuild. Last week we went through this list of people who are building on the wall, the list there in chapter three. And so as we turn to chapter four, we find that the people, as they're rebuilding, they face both criticism and discouragement. But in the midst of it, Nehemiah presents an incredible picture, an incredible pattern of how we can stay faithful to God, to one another, to the calling that God has on our lives in the face of criticism and discouragement. And so in Nehemiah 4, I've structured our study through this chapter around three things.

They'll come up on the screen. Firstly, the sting of criticism. Second, the fatigue of discouragement. But third, and most importantly, and where we'll spend our time as we finish this morning. The power of faithfulness.

Turn to verse 1 of Nehemiah 4 says this. Sanballat was very angry when he learned that we were rebuilding the wall. He flew into a rage and he mocked the Jews, saying in front of his friends and the Sumerian army officers, what does this bunch of poor feeble Jews think they're doing? Do they think they can build the wall in a single day just by offering a few sacrifices? Do they actually think they can make something of stones from a rubbish heap?

And charred ones at that? Tobiah, the ammonite who was standing beside him, remarked the stone that stone wall would collapse if even a fox walked along the top of it. It's commonly said that there are a few guarantees in life that we know. The old joke goes that death and taxes are the two things that are guaranteed. But I'd suggest another guarantee in the life of the person who is actively following Jesus is that criticism and opposition is guaranteed.

Nehemiah 4 shows us this picture really clearly. As Nehemiah and the people rebuild the wall, opposition rises up. And we find in this passage the two main figures, Sam Ballot and Tobiah, actually appeared at the end of Nehemiah chapter 2. We met them there for the first time as they opposed the building. But here they come again and they're criticizing God's people.

Now, it's important to note that Sambala and Tobiah are not just random guys passing by the wall. These are two powerful men. They're probably governors. They're leaders with influence. They've got people who will listen to them and their intention is to stop the work of God.

Quite a few years ago, we were running a Christmas event. This is in a previous church, probably about 20 years ago, down south, Canberra, next to a pretty rough pub. You wouldn't have any of those on the north side of Canberra. But if you've been to the south, where I used to call home, it was next to a pretty rough pub and it was getting pretty late on a Sunday afternoon. And some fairly inebriated guys appeared from the pub and they started yelling out comments.

Some of them were pretty comical, to be honest. But it was noisy, it was distracting, but it wasn't a threat. And soon after, they went back inside and went back to their drinking. The opposition that Nehemiah is facing here and the people are facing is a lot more serious. It's an organized and intentional threat to crush the confidence of God's people.

I want you to notice that Sandball and Tobiah, as they criticize, they attack both the work and the workers. They say, in effect, what good are your sacrifices? What good are your prayers? What can it possibly achieve when all you have in front of you is mound upon mound of charred rubble? And Tobiah, he's the comedian in the group.

He says you're not even real builders. Like, come on, get serious, guys. That wall you're building, if a fox went on top of it, it would knock the wall down. I want us to remember, too, who's building this wall. We saw it last week as Nehemiah brings our attention to the builders working on the wall.

Remember, they're not stonemasons, they're not builders. They're priests and perfume makers, goldsmiths. There's parents and there's children. These are not trained builders. And I suspect there was already that nagging voice in their head saying, is what I'm doing good enough?

Is what I'm doing good enough? Can I really, the perfume maker, contribute to this war? And this is the target of Sanballat and Tobiah. They drill in on the space where the people already feel the most insecure. Isn't that often how criticism works in our life, too?

I spent a good portion of my life working with teenagers. Teenagers are great or terrible, I guess, at drilling in on the insecurities of others. And I suspect as adults, we're not much better. But this is where the criticism targets. And so I want you to be encouraged today, in the midst of this point, on the sting of criticism, I want to encourage you that sharing the gospel, serving in ministry, building up your family in faith, you can expect the same reaction.

You can expect the same opposition. Jesus is really clear on this. If we turn to the Gospels, he presents kingdom work as not something the world's gonna love. He speaks to it in Matthew 5. The words will come up here.

Matthew 5:11 says, God blesses you when people mock you and persecute you and lie about you and say all sorts of evil things against you because you are my followers. Be happy about it, be very glad, for a great award awaits you in heaven. And remember the ancient Prophets were persecuted in the same way. Jesus says in John 15:18, if the world hates you, remember it hated me first. The world would love you as one of its own if you belong to it, but you are no longer part of the world.

I chose you to come out of the world, so it hates you. Jesus is really clear, isn't he? If we had time, we could go to more places where Jesus and then later Paul and the other writers of the New Testament address this very topic. The point is clear. The question is not if opposition and criticism will come.

The question is how we'll respond when it does. And I love the words there of Jesus in Matthew 5. He says, you can be happy when you're criticized for my sake. You can be happy when you're criticized because you love me, because you're following me, because. Because there's an incredible promise awaiting you.

You can look forward to it. Our second point today is in verses 7 and 8. We see the threats escalate and the fatigue of discouragement creeps upon the people. Let's turn to verse seven. It says, but when Sanballat and Tobiah and the Arabs, Amorites and Ashdodites heard the that the work was going ahead and that the gaps in the wall of Jerusalem were being repaired, they were furious.

They all made plans to come and fight against Jerusalem and throw us into confusion. We see that there's a crowd now. Sam Ballot and Tobiah have now got with them the Arabs, the Ammonites, the Ashdodites. It highlights another truth. There's something about critics that loves company.

Critics love company. And how do they respond when they discover that their criticisms of the people hasn't stopped the work of God? They're furious. They're really angry. They want to put a stop to this work, and so they ramp up the pressure.

The passage tells us that they gather together and they make plans to attack Jerusalem and throw the people into chaos.

And we know that news of this planned attack filters to the people as they're working on the wall. And we see the effect of it in verse 10, says, Then the people of Judah began to complain. The workers are getting tired, and there is so much rubble to be moved. We will never be able to build the wall by ourselves. There's a reality here for us that criticism that sits within our hearts and our minds very quickly turns into discouragement.

It shows up often in a quiet whisper that says, what's the point? The work is too great. It creeps into our hearts, and if we let it Stay there. It puts down roots and it grows. I wonder if, like me, you have seen Christians give up.

Maybe they've given up on the things that God has called them to. Maybe. Maybe they've given up on connection into a church family. Maybe they've given up on their faith entirely. Not always, but often it's because criticism, fatigue and discouragement.

It's so easy to face a disappointment in our faith or to have people that we think should know better say harsh, critical, unkind things about us. And when that sits in our hearts and our minds, it turns into discouragement. And it's so easy for that to turn us away from the work that God has called us to. It's so easy for that to turn us away from God. And that's what's happening here in verse 10.

The same people watch this who only days earlier had a heart for building. Nehemiah says they had a heart for building, now feel defeated. The people who were excited about the work have reached the halfway point. And now they're saying, we're worn out. There's too much rubble.

The task is too great. We'll never finish this. I want you to notice nothing's actually changed. Nothing's actually changed. It's not like their work has been undone.

They're making progress. The wall is being built, the gaps are being made smaller. But discouragement changes their focus. It makes the work seem harder, it makes the obstacles seem greater, and it makes the progress seem smaller. Church, let me tell you this morning, that's what discouragement does in our lives, too.

Discouragement in our lives exaggerates the obstacles. It minimizes the victories. It blinds us to God's presence in the midst of the work. It plants seeds of doubt in our minds, saying, you're not making any difference.

But the exciting thing and point three this morning is that criticism and discouragement do not have to be the focus of our story. They don't have to derail us. Because Nehemiah leads in such a way that he turns the people back towards God, that he returns them not to criticism and discouragement and opposition, but he turns them back to God's goodness. And we see here the power of faithfulness shouldn't surprise us. For those of you who have been here for the first few weeks of this series, where does Nehemiah start?

He starts when critics start circling. When opposition comes, Nehemiah prays. Isn't that the model of Nehemiah? When things are going wrong, when he's filled with grief, when he's discouraged, when Opponents come, he prays. He doesn't get dragged into verbal arguments.

He doesn't try and justify himself. He's not self defensive. He prays. Let's turn back to verse 4 of chapter 4, Nehemiah. As soon as Sanballat and Tobias speak, Nehemiah says, hear us our God, for we are being mocked.

May their scolding fall back on their own heads and may they themselves become captives in a foreign land. Do not ignore their guilt, do not blot out their sins, for they have provoked you to anger here in front of the builders. It's a pretty heavy prayer, isn't it? It's raw, it's confronting, it's a motive. But I want us to see.

Nehemiah prays and he hands the criticism and the outcome of the criticism, he hands them to the Lord. In effect, he's praying God, you see this? This is your work, these are your people. Deal with those who would come against it. Deal with those who would come against it.

I want to make a point here that scripture does give us space for this kind of prayer. We sit here in Nehemiah, David prays this kind of prayer. In the Psalms we see the exiles from Babylon praying prayers like this as well. We see Jesus being really blunt to the religious leaders, telling them what will be the outcome of their actions if they stand in the way of God's work. And we see it here.

But we also have Jesus on the cross who prays, father, forgive them, for they don't know what they're doing. So right across Scripture we have space for both prayers. We have prayers longing for justice and prayers pleading for mercy. But more than the content of the prayer, I want us to focus on Nehemiah's first instinct. His first instinct when facing criticism and opposition is to look up.

He does it here in verse four. He prays again in verse nine. But prayer isn't where it stops. And that's been another point that we've been making throughout that faithful people don't just pray, they pray and then they take faithful steps. Let's turn to verse 14.

Says, then as I looked over the situation, I called together the nobles and the rest of the people and said to them, don't be afraid of the enemy. Remember the Lord who is great and glorious and fight for your brothers, your sons, your daughters, your wives and your homes. When our enemies heard that we knew of their plans and that God had frustrated them, we all returned to our work on the wall. But from then on, only half my men worked while the other Half stood guard with spears and shields, bows, coat and coats of mail. The leaders stationed themselves behind the people of Judah who were building the wall.

The laborers carried on their work with one hand supporting their load and one hand holding a weapon. All the builders had a sword belted to their side. The trumpeter stayed with me to sound the alarm. Then I explained to the nobles and officials and all the people, the work is very spread out and we are widely separated from each other along the wall. When you hear the blast of the trumpet rush to wherever it's sounding, then our God will fight for us.

We worked early and late, from sunrise to sunset, and half the men were always on guard. I want to quickly highlight for you the pattern that Nehemiah gives us for dealing with criticism and discouragement. First, he says, remember the Lord. Get your eyes up. Remember who God is.

Remember how great and glorious he is. Realize that the noise of the critics and the size of the rubble will shrink back into its proper place when you focus on how great God is. Second, he says to them, remember the purpose of your work. Remember the purpose of your work. He says, fight for your families.

In other words, don't just think about bricks and mortar. We aren't building a wall for the sake of having a wall. Remember the vision. Remember what you are called to. Remember the purpose of your work.

Remember the people that you're protecting. Third, he says, don't stop building. What does he do? He ensures that half carry on the work while half hold the sword's ready to fight. Those who are working have a trowel in one hand and a sword in the other.

The people, later on we discover sleeping their clothes. So they're ready to defend the war. But I want us to notice here, what did they do? They kept on building. They kept on building.

They kept on serving. They didn't get distracted by the fight. They didn't let criticism or opposition drag them out of what God had called them to. They kept all on at the work. Fourth, Nehemiah reminds them, we're in this together.

We're in this together. We saw last week, didn't we, that God's family is designed to be close and connected. We are not designed as followers of Christ to be out on our own doing it outside of the church, outside of community.

There's a great risk that comes to your faith when you try to live like that. But Nehemiah here calls them together. He sees the risk that if they're on their own, what might happen. And so he says, if you hear the trumpet Rally together, stand shoulder to shoulder and know that our God will fight for us and see the effect of their faithfulness. What happens when they're faithful?

What's the result of this? It's so easy to miss. The result is that the work goes on. That's the victory. The victory is not that they have a good retort to Tobiah or Sam ballot.

It's not that they win a debate or an argument. The victory here is that they are faithful to the work that God has called them to and the work goes on. And so this morning as we close, let me ask you, how do you respond to criticism and discouragement? How do you respond to criticism and discouragement? Because this passage reminds us that the work of God will always be opposed.

The people of God will be criticized. And we can either let that make us bitter or discouraged or knock us away from our calling, knock us away from the work, or we can keep on building. Perhaps this morning you are feeling discouraged, maybe you're feeling worn out, maybe you're still dealing with harsh words of criticism. And what Nehemiah 4 would say to us is remember your God. Remember how great and glorious your God is.

Remember your purpose. Remember what God has called you to. Keep on working at what God has put in front of you. Don't be dragged away from it. Don't be distracted, don't be defeated by it.

Keep on working and push into community. Find safety, find protection, find encouragement in the people of God. I want to encourage you church. You probably know we've got our 20, 30 mission goals. We have five areas that we're believing and trusting God for that over the next five years that we will see incredible things happen.

And those are big goals. And I've said to you a number of times, I don't know how they're all going to happen. So if you're hoping I've got the answers, I don't. I'm hoping you too.

We are believing that each one of us will have a family member or a friend come to know Jesus as their Lord and Saviour, every single one of us. We're believing that every year we'll encounter 500 people in our local community who we can encourage, who we can love and care for. We're hoping that as a community, as a church, we'll have the financial capacity to employ three full time staff to lead the work of ministry. We're praying and believing that we'll have 80% of our church family involved in small groups or serving teams. All of those things are huge.

They're kind of daunting, perhaps, and we should expect as we work towards them, that we'll face criticism and opposition, that people will say, are you praying? Do you actually think that's going to make a difference? People will say, oh, Christians again, talking about Jesus again. People might stumble out of a pub and mock our Christmas festival, but criticism and opposition will come. We should expect those things.

But we should also have in front of us a knowledge that when we are criticized and opposed for living out a Christian life, that we are incredible company with Jesus himself and so be encouraged. If you're feeling criticized or discouraged this morning, keep on praying. Ask God to fight on your behalf. And as you pray, keep at the work, trusting that God will do an incredible thing through it. Let's pray.

Oh God, we thank youk for your word this morning. We thank youk for Nehemiah, this context which is so foreign to us, and yet, God, you reveal so many incredible things through youh Word that apply to our lives today. Father, we pray for those who are feeling criticized or discouraged this morning, that are feeling weary. Lord, give them strength to keep at the work, Lord, that they would remind themselves that of how great and glorious you are and that they would keep at it. Lord, for those who have been knocked off path by criticism or discouragement, for those who have had the harsh words of others get in the way of what you've called them to, Father, we pray that you would renew them again, Lord, that you would heal their wounds.

Lord, we know your Word declares that you see every tear that we we cry. And so, Father, I just pray that you would bring comfort, you'd bring healing, you'd bring renewed focus, renewed energy that you would equip us to keep at it. We pray these things in Jesus name. Amen.