17So I said to them, “You see the trouble we are in. Jerusalem lies in ruins and its gates have been burned. Come, let’s rebuild Jerusalem’s wall, so that we will no longer be a disgrace.”

18I told them how the gracious hand of my God had been on me, and what the king had said to me.

They said, “Let’s start rebuilding,” and their hands were strengthened to do this good work.

19When Sanballat the Horonite, Tobiah the Ammonite official, and Geshem the Arab heard about this, they mocked and despised us, and said, “What is this you’re doing? Are you rebelling against the king?”

20I gave them this reply, “The God of the heavens is the one who will grant us success. We, his servants, will start building, but you have no share, right, or historic claim in Jerusalem.”

There will be opposition to doing God’s will

We need to accept that there will always be opposition to doing God's will!

James 4:1-8 (CSB)

1What is the source of wars and fights among you? Don’t they come from your passions that wage war within you?

2You desire and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and wage war. You do not have because you do not ask.

3You ask and don’t receive because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures.

4You adulterous people! Don’t you know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? So whoever wants to be the friend of the world becomes the enemy of God.

5Or do you think it’s without reason that the Scripture says: The spirit he made to dwell in us envies intensely?

6But he gives greater grace. Therefore he says:

God resists the proud

but gives grace to the humble.

7Therefore, submit to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

8Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.

When we face External Opposition, we must trust God and follow his lead.

Nehemiah 4:13-20 (CSB)

13So I stationed people behind the lowest sections of the wall, at the vulnerable areas. I stationed them by families with their swords, spears, and bows.

14After I made an inspection, I stood up and said to the nobles, the officials, and the rest of the people, “Don’t be afraid of them. Remember the great and awe-inspiring Lord, and fight for your countrymen, your sons and daughters, your wives and homes.”

15When our enemies heard that we knew their scheme and that God had frustrated it, every one of us returned to his own work on the wall.

16From that day on, half of my men did the work while the other half held spears, shields, bows, and armor. The officers supported all the people of Judah,

17who were rebuilding the wall. The laborers who carried the loads worked with one hand and held a weapon with the other.

18Each of the builders had his sword strapped around his waist while he was building, and the one who sounded the ram’s horn was beside me.

19Then I said to the nobles, the officials, and the rest of the people, “The work is enormous and spread out, and we are separated far from one another along the wall.

20Wherever you hear the sound of the ram’s horn, rally to us there. Our God will fight for us!”

1 Peter 5:6–11 (CSB)

6Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, so that he may exalt you at the proper time,

7casting all your cares on him, because he cares about you.

8Be sober-minded, be alert. Your adversary the devil is prowling around like a roaring lion, looking for anyone he can devour.

9Resist him, firm in the faith, knowing that the same kind of sufferings are being experienced by your fellow believers throughout the world.

10The God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, establish, strengthen, and support you after you have suffered a little while.

11To him be dominion forever. Amen.

Nehemiah: Facing Opposition

Nehemiah 2:17–20 (CSB)

18I told them how the gracious hand of my God had been on me, and what the king had said to me.

They said, “Let’s start rebuilding,” and their hands were strengthened to do this good work.

20I gave them this reply, “The God of the heavens is the one who will grant us success. We, his servants, will start building, but you have no share, right, or historic claim in Jerusalem.”

There will be opposition to doing God’s will

We need to accept that there will always be opposition to doing God's will!

James 4:1-8 (CSB)

1What is the source of wars and fights among you? Don’t they come from your passions that wage war within you?

2You desire and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and wage war. You do not have because you do not ask.

3You ask and don’t receive because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures.

4You adulterous people! Don’t you know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? So whoever wants to be the friend of the world becomes the enemy of God.

5Or do you think it’s without reason that the Scripture says: The spirit he made to dwell in us envies intensely?

6But he gives greater grace. Therefore he says:

God resists the proud

but gives grace to the humble.

7Therefore, submit to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

8Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.

When we face External Opposition, we must trust God and follow his lead.

Nehemiah 4:13-20 (CSB)

13So I stationed people behind the lowest sections of the wall, at the vulnerable areas. I stationed them by families with their swords, spears, and bows.

15When our enemies heard that we knew their scheme and that God had frustrated it, every one of us returned to his own work on the wall.

16From that day on, half of my men did the work while the other half held spears, shields, bows, and armor. The officers supported all the people of Judah,

17who were rebuilding the wall. The laborers who carried the loads worked with one hand and held a weapon with the other.

18Each of the builders had his sword strapped around his waist while he was building, and the one who sounded the ram’s horn was beside me.

19Then I said to the nobles, the officials, and the rest of the people, “The work is enormous and spread out, and we are separated far from one another along the wall.

20Wherever you hear the sound of the ram’s horn, rally to us there. Our God will fight for us!”

1 Peter 5:6–11 (CSB)

6Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, so that he may exalt you at the proper time,

7casting all your cares on him, because he cares about you.

8Be sober-minded, be alert. Your adversary the devil is prowling around like a roaring lion, looking for anyone he can devour.

9Resist him, firm in the faith, knowing that the same kind of sufferings are being experienced by your fellow believers throughout the world.

10The God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, establish, strengthen, and support you after you have suffered a little while.

11To him be dominion forever. Amen.

Facing Opposition

Nehemiah 2:17–20 (CSB)

18I told them how the gracious hand of my God had been on me, and what the king had said to me.

They said, “Let’s start rebuilding,” and their hands were strengthened to do this good work.

20I gave them this reply, “The God of the heavens is the one who will grant us success. We, his servants, will start building, but you have no share, right, or historic claim in Jerusalem.”