October 3, 2021
LEGACY: The Book of Nehemiah
Part 3: How to Handle Opposition
(Nehemiah 4:1 NIV) When Sanballat heard that we were rebuilding the wall, he became angry and was greatly incensed.
Every time you start ____________
for God, you’re asking for __________.
The Tactics of Opposition
- ___________.
(Nehemiah 4:2-3 NIV) He ridiculed the Jews, and in the presence of his associates and the army of Samaria, he said, “What are those feeble Jews doing? Will they restore their wall? Will they offer sacrifices? Will they finish in a day? Can they bring the stones back to life from those heaps of rubble—burned as they are?” Tobiah the Ammonite, who was at his side, said, “What they are building—even a fox climbing up on it would break down their wall of stones!”
- _____________.
(Nehemiah 4:6-7 NIV) So we rebuilt the wall till all of it reached half its height, for the people worked with all their heart. But when Sanballat, Tobiah, the Arabs, the Ammonites and the people of Ashdod heard that the repairs to Jerusalem’s walls had gone ahead and that the gaps were being closed, they were very angry. They all plotted together to come and fight against Jerusalem and stir up trouble against it.
- ____________.
(Nehemiah 4:11-12 NIV) Also our enemies said, “Before they know it or see us, we will be right there among them and will kill them and put an end to the work.” Then the Jews who lived near them came and told us ten times over, “Wherever you turn, they will attack us.”
(Nehemiah 4:10 NIV) Meanwhile, the people in Judah said, “The strength of the laborers is giving out, and there is so much rubble that we cannot rebuild the wall.”
- ___________.
- ______________.
- ____________.
- __________.
How Legacy People Respond to Opposition
- Rely _____________.
(Nehemiah 4:4-5 NIV) Hear us, our God, for we are despised. Turn their insults back on their own heads. Give them over as plunder in a land of captivity. Do not cover up their guilt or blot out their sins from your sight, for they have thrown insults in the face of the builders.
2. Respect ___________________.
(Nehemiah 4:9 NIV) But we prayed to our God and posted a guard day and night to meet this threat.
Legacy people don’t just ____________, they _________.
3. Reinforce ________________________.
(Nehemiah 4:13 NIV) Therefore I stationed some of the people behind the lowest points of the wall at the exposed places, posting them by families, with their swords, spears and bows.
(Nehemiah 4:17-18 NIV) Those who carried materials did their work with one hand and held a weapon in the other, and each of the builders wore his sword at his side as he worked.
Legacy people know how to __________ and ___________ at the same time.
4. Reassure __________________.
(Nehemiah 4:14 NIV) After I looked things over, I stood up and said to the nobles, the officials and the rest of the people, “Don’t be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your families, your sons and your daughters, your wives and your homes.”
5. Refuse ______________.
(Nehemiah 4:15 NIV) When our enemies heard that we were aware of their plot and that God had frustrated it, we all returned to the wall, each to our own work.
Legacy people ____________.
(Nehemiah 7:1-3) After the wall had been rebuilt and I had set the doors in place, the gatekeepers, the musicians and the Levites were appointed. I put in charge of Jerusalem my brother Hanani, along with Hananiah the commander of the citadel, because he was a man of integrity and feared God more than most people do. I said to them, “The gates of Jerusalem are not to be opened until the sun is hot. While the gatekeepers are still on duty, have them shut the doors and bar them. Also appoint residents of Jerusalem as guards, some at their posts and some near their own houses.”
You need walls to ____________, but gates to _____________.