Welcome to this edition of the Weekend Sermon. I hope that you have all had a very good week, and I would like to thank the Lord for giving me the opportunity to post this message.
We have been studying what we can learn from the life of Nehemiah for the past couple of weeks now. We have seen that God put it in Nehemiah's heart to go and rebuild the walls of the city of Jerusalem. Nehemiah set out to do what the Lord placed in his heart. He asked the Persian ruler for permission to go and rebuild, and permission was granted.
Today, we learn that Nehemiah set out for Jerusalem with the provisions provided to him by the emperor. He looked around at the dismal state of the city, and he encouraged the people to all participate in rebuilding the city.
The people of the city responded to Nehemiah's call to rebuild, and they began the task. They started with the gates of the city with the priests participating in the rebuilding process right along with everyone else.
It wasn't long before trouble arose. Sanballat and Tobiah did not like the fact that the people were rebuilding the walls of the city. They did everything that they could in order to discourage the people and to prevent the work on the rebuilding to continue. At one point, half of the people had to work on the walls while the other half stood guard in protection from those who would try to attack and stop the rebuilding.
There is one important point that I want us to focus on today. Whenever someone tries to do something for the Lord, that person can expect to have opposition. Nehemiah was doing what God called him to do. However, those who were opposed to the will and way of the Lord tried as they might to put a stop to what he was trying to do.
In your life, you will find that if you decide to go full out for the Lord and try to follow Him to the best of your ability, you will face opposition. If you try to do something that the Lord has laid on your heart by way of ministry, you can expect obstacles. The forces of the evil one do not want the message of salvation to reach others. Evil does not want any good to take place in this world.
The opposition that we will face can take many different forms. Often, it will take the form of criticism and derision from others. When I was in college, I decided that I wanted to live for the Lord more fully. I didn't want to go along with everyone else was doing. I had a lot of people who made fun of me and called me names. Thank God, He gave me the strength to persevere in doing my best for Him.
When I wanted to minister more, there were obstacles. Road blocks were thrown in my way to try to keep me from the ministry that God had called me to. However, the Lord led me to minister through the blog and through writing. I've also been able to do evangelism work. It isn't always easy to serve the Lord.
I know that there are many others who face a lot more persecution and obstacles in their efforts to serve Jesus and do His will in this world. Some even face death for the cause and mission of Jesus. Others face the loss of a job or the loss of family relationships.
Jesus said that this is what will happen to those who attempt to live for Him and to do His will. He said that those who follow Him will be persecuted. He said that if they hated Him, they will hate His followers.
So, what is our response. We can follow the example of Nehemiah. He kept on going. He didn't let anything stand in the way of his mission to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. Those of us who follow Jesus are empowered by the Holy Spirit to stand for Jesus and to live for Him in this world. If we are willing to do what the Lord has told us to do, He will give us the strength to accomplish the task that is set before us.
If the Lord is calling you to serve Him, expect opposition. But know that the Lord is always with giving you the strength to carry on. He will never leave you , and He will never forsake you. Amen.
Prayer Requests
You've probably noticed that I've not been posting midweek much. I am having a multitude of health problems right now. I am barely able to keep working at my job. I am having a lot of pain. Please keep praying for me. I do appreciate it.
The World Cup starts this week. Please pray that all will be safe at that event.
Pray for those suffering as a result of natural disasters. Pray that the Buffalo area won't have too many problems with all of the snow they are supposed to get.
There are many diseases and sicknesses plaguing the world right now. Cholera is a problem in many nations. We are still dealing with Covid. There is an outbreak of respiratory disease here in the US. Pray that these diseases will dissipate. Pray that the sick will recover.
Pray for peace in this world. Ukraine, Syria and Yemen really need our prayers.
For our prayer focus countries this week, let us pray for those in the nations of Mauritius and Thailand. Pray that many will come to know of the love of Jesus.
Next week, we will continue in our Nehemiah series. I will post the verses on Monday. Hopefully, I will be able to have a midweek post. May God bless you all.
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