FINISHING STRONG

NEHEMIAH 6:1-16

1 When word came to Sanballat, Tobiah, Geshem the Arab and the rest of our enemies that I had rebuilt the wall and not a gap was left in it—though up to that time I had not set the doors in the gates— 

NEHEMIAH 6:1-16

2 Sanballat and Geshem sent me this message: “Come, let us meet together in one of the villages on the plain of Ono.” But they were scheming to harm me;

NEHEMIAH 6:1-16

3 so I sent messengers to them with this reply: “I am carrying on a great project and cannot go down. Why should the work stop while I leave it and go down to you?” 

NEHEMIAH 6:1-16

4 Four times they sent me the same message, and each time I gave them the same answer. 5 Then, the fifth time, Sanballat sent his aide to me with the same message, and in his hand was an unsealed letter

NEHEMIAH 6:1-16

6 in which was written: “It is reported among the nations—and Geshem says it is true—that you and the Jews are plotting to revolt, and therefore you are building the wall. Moreover, according to these reports you are about to become their king

NEHEMIAH 6:1-16

7 and have even appointed prophets to make this proclamation about you in Jerusalem: ‘There is a king in Judah!’ Now this report will get back to the king; so come, let us meet together.”

NEHEMIAH 6:1-16

8 I sent him this reply: “Nothing like what you are saying is happening; you are just making it up out of your head.” 9 They were all trying to frighten us, thinking, “Their hands will get too weak for the work, and it will not be completed.” But I prayed, “Now strengthen my hands.”

NEHEMIAH 6:1-16

10 One day I went to the house of Shemaiah son of Delaiah, the son of Mehetabel, who was shut in at his home. He said, “Let us meet in the house of God, inside the temple, and let us close the temple doors, because men are coming to kill you -by night they are coming to kill you.”

NEHEMIAH 6:1-16

11 But I said, “Should a man like me run away? Or should someone like me go into the temple to save his life? I will not go!” 12 I realized that God had not sent him, but that he had prophesied against me because Tobiah and Sanballathad hired him.

NEHEMIAH 6:1-16

13 He had been hired to intimidate me so that I would commit a sin by doing this, and then they would give me a bad name to discredit me.

NEHEMIAH 6:1-16

14 Remember Tobiah and Sanballat, my God, because of what they have done; remember also the prophet Noadiah and how she and the rest of the prophets have been trying to intimidate me. 

NEHEMIAH 6:1-16

15 So the wall was completed on the twenty-fifth of Elul, in fifty-two days. 16 When all our enemies heard about this, all the surrounding nations were afraid and lost their self-confidence, because they realized that this work had been done with the help of our God.

THE CLOSER YOU GET TO DOING

WHAT GOD WANTS DONE, THE HARDER YOUR ENEMY WILL

FIGHT TO STOP YOU. 

THE ENEMY’S STRATEGY TO STOP

YOU:

THE ENEMY’S STRATEGY

Your enemy will try to DISTRACT

you.

NEHEMIAH 6:2

2 Sanballat and Geshem sent me this message: “Come, let us meet together in one of the villages on the plain of Ono.” But they were scheming to harm me;

I’M NOT COMING DOWN.

When you start moving forward and doing what

God calls you to do, your enemy will try

to distract you. 

NEHEMIAH 6:2-3

2 Sanballat and Geshem sent me this message: “Come, let us meet together in one of the villages on the plain of Ono.” But they were scheming to harm me;

NEHEMIAH 6:2-3

3 so I sent messengers to them with this reply: "I am carrying on a great project and cannot go down. Why should the work stop while I leave it and go down to you?" 

 Just because you could do something does not mean you

should do something. Just because you could,

don't let even something good distract you.

THE ENEMY’S STRATEGY

Your enemy will try to DISCREDIT

you.

Your enemy will try to discredit you.

And when you do anything for the glory of God,

you need to understand that your spiritual enemy will try to discredit you. 

THE ENEMY’S STRATEGY TO

DISCREDIT YOU:

BY SPREADING RUMORS

NEHEMIAH 6:5

5 Then, the fifth time, Sanballat sent his aide to me with the same

message, and in his hand was an unsealed letter 

The more you do for God, the more people are going

to talk about you and spread rumors. 

TO COMPROMISE YOUR INTEGRITY,

TO SIN, AND TO DISCREDIT

YOURSELF

NEHEMIAH 6:10-13

10 One day I went to the house of Shemaiah son of Delaiah, the son of Mehetabel, who was shut in at his home. He said, “Let us meet in the house of God, inside the temple, and let us close the temple doors, because men are coming to kill you -by night they are coming to kill you.”

NEHEMIAH 6:10-13

11 But I said, “Should a man like me run away? Or should someone like me go into the temple to save his life? I will not go!” 12 I realized that God had not sent him, but that he had prophesied against me because Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him.

NEHEMIAH 6:10-13

13 He had been hired to intimidate me so that I would commit a sin by doing this, and then they would give me a bad name to discredit me.

I’M NOT GIVING UP.

EVERETT ALVAREZ JR.:

First pilot detained during the Vietnam War and spent

over eight years in captivity; making him the

second longest-held American POW, after U.S. Army Colonel Floyd James

Thompson.

EVERETT ALVAREZ JR.:

“Since I was all alone, I have

nothing else to do but to talk to God, Who is always with

me.”

As you rise in effectiveness, your spiritual enemy will try

to convince you that you are more than what

you really are. 

NEHEMIAH 6:15-16

15 So the wall was completed on the twenty-fifth of Elul, in fifty-two days. 16 When all our enemies heard about this, all the surrounding nations were afraid and lost their self-confidence, because they realized that this work had been done with the help of our God.

Everybody realized that what everyone

thought was impossible had been done with the

help of our God. 

CONCLUSION

GALATIANS 6:9

9 Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.

God is not calling you to take up space and make a name for yourself. He is calling you to change the world.  

MARTIN LUTHER KING JR.:

What is your Life’s Blueprint?

And when you discover what you will be in your life, set out to do it as if God Almighty called you

at this particular moment in history to do it. Don't just set out to do a good job. Set out to do such a good job that the living, the dead or the unborn couldn't do it any better.

If it falls your lot to be a street sweeper, sweep

streets like Michelangelo painted pictures, sweep streets like Beethoven

composed music, sweep streets like Leontyne Price sings before the Metropolitan Opera.

Sweep streets like Shakespeare wrote

poetry.

Sweep streets so well that all the

hosts of heaven and earth will have to pause and say:

Here lived a great street sweeper

who swept his job well. If you can't be a pine at the top of the hill, be a shrub in the valley. Be be the best little shrub on the side of the

hill.

Be a bush if you can't be a tree. If

you can't be a highway, just be a trail. If you can't be a sun, be a star. For

it isn't by size that you win or fail. Be the best of whatever you

are. 

MATTHEW 25:21

"His master replied, 'Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!'