A Mind To Work

(Nehemiah 4:1-6)

Introduction:  

1. Nehemiah was a cup bearer for King Artaxerxes I, King of Persia.

2. He had heard that the walls had not been rebuilt; so he asked

permission to rebuild.

3. Nehemiah demonstrated great skills in leadership and organization.

a. Divided the work into 42 sections.

b. People were responsible for the section near their home.

4. In just 52 days, the walls were completed.

5. During this time however, they faced quite a bit of opposition.

6. This opposition really isn’t any different from the opposition we face

today in the Lord’s church.  

I. Nehemiah Faced Mockery From Without

A. (Nehemiah 4:1-6).

B. Sanballat and Tobiah ridiculed the efforts of these “feeble Jews.”

C. Is the church ever ridiculed today?

D. Nehemiah simply kept on praying and building.  

II. Nehemiah Faced Rubbish From Within

A. (Nehemiah 4:10).

B. Sanballat already referred to this in (4:2) and maybe the seed of doubt he

planted is bearing fruit among some of the people.

C. Often, the church must “unteach” [clear away the rubbish of denominational

teaching] before it can teach.

D. During this process, we must not become discouraged and give up.  

III. Nehemiah Faced Force From Without

A. (Nehemiah 4:7-23).

B. When scorn and mockery failed, the enemies of Nehemiah decided to use

force.

C. Nehemiah simply kept praying and building and instead of putting down his

tools, he picked up arms.

D. We are in a warfare with the Devil; don’t drop your tools and run, pick up the

sword of the Spirit and keep working.  

IV. Nehemiah Faced Greed From Within

A. (Nehemiah 5:1-19).

B. There was strife among the workers.

C. Often the greatest harm that can be done to the church is by its own

members fussing and quarreling with each other.

D. Nehemiah didn’t allow this to fester, but immediately confronted them and

condemned the offenders.  

V. Nehemiah Faced Compromise From Without

A. (Nehemiah 6:1-4).

B. His enemies now pretend to be friends, but they sought to do him mischief.

C. There can be no fellowship between good and evil, the forces of Satan and

the church of our Lord.

VI. Nehemiah Faced Slander From Without

A. (Nehemiah 6:5-9).

B. Nehemiah’s enemies informed Nehemiah that they would accuse him before

the King of rebellion.

C. Nehemiah simply denied the charges and continued to work.

D. Our life ought to be such that it can stand on its own merits against false

charges and accusations.  

VII. Practical Lessons From Nehemiah

A. We can often do more than pray but we should never do anything without

praying.

B. With good leadership, much can be accomplished.

C. With committed workers, much can be accomplished.

D. We must overcome obstacles that stand in the way of our goal.

E. Challenge yourself to greater service

F. No matter who is on the throne, God is in control.  

Conclusion:  

1. Despite all the forms of opposition Nehemiah faced, he and the

people finished their work in 52 days.  

2. The one underlying key to their success was in (4:6) “They had a

mind to work.”