Paul said there is a great and open door but he said there are many adversaries and the door to the room of opportunity swings on the hinges of opposition there’s no cheap way there’s no easy way there’s no lazy way and when you try to do something for God Endeavor to let God use you you’re going to meet satanic opposition profound truth simply stated This is Love Worth Finding with Pastor teacher and author Adrien Rogers be finding Nehemiah chapter 4 we’re in a series of Bible studies things that I

want to say to the church what kind of a church should this church be what kind of a church have I been trying in these past years to allow God to lead me to make this church to be last Sunday we talked about a unified church that we might be one in the bond of Love Today I want to talk to you about a steadfast church one that can overcome the devices of the devil Satan will attack with derision write down the word derision and look here in Nehemiah 4: 1-3 and it came to pass pass that when San ballot heard that we builded

the walls he was wroth kids that means he was hot angry steamed he was WTH and he took great indignation now underscore this phrase and mocked mocked the Jews that means he ridiculed them he had them in derision and this church will be in derision if we stand for Christ now listen listen there is no way are you listening Church there is no way that you can stand for Jesus without becoming the laughing stock of this world do you think you’re better than Jesus listen to this Mark 5:40 concerning Jesus and they laughed him to

scorn can you imagine anybody mocking the Lord Jesus they laughed him to scorn Luke 22: 63 when Jesus was being crucified the Bible says they mocked him and smoted him not only did they mercilessly beat him they are laughing while they’re doing it they mocked him and smot him in Luke 23 vers uh uh 36 and the soldiers also mocked him coming to him and offering him vinegar and saying if thou be the king of the Jews save thy thyself now you’re not better than Jesus if they mocked the Lord Jesus they’re going to

Mock You Now what what was the nature of their ridicule first of all they ridicule the feebleness of God’s people look if you will here in verse two and he spake before his Brethren and the army of Samaria and said what do these feeble Jews what are these feeble Jews trying to do in other words they said look they’re insign ific uh they are weak therefore we laugh at them and from the world’s Viewpoint we we don’t have any strength now the world boasts of its power its education its erudition its

influence and they look at us and they just sort of tolerate us they feel basically that uh we’re those feeble Baptist you know it’s easy to underestimate the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ Jesus started out with 12 unlettered fishermen and turned the world upside down Jesus went out against the Imperial might of Rome against the religious bigotry of his day and turned that world and he and his disciples upside down they mocked the feey the feebleness of God’s people secondly they mocked the futility of the

task look in the last part of chapter 4 and verse two will they make an end in a day will they revive the stones out of the heaps of the rubbish that are burned they said look there’s no way you can do it it is futile they were looked upon as dreamers Visionaries impractical wasting their time with an impossible task and therefore they laughed at them they laughed at the the feebleness of their strength the futility of the task and they also laughed at the foolishness of their faith look in Nehemiah chapter

4 and verse two will they sacrifice now what he saying is this are they going to worship their God their Devotion to the god of heaven was a source of ridicule may I tell you that what we believe the oldfashioned oldtime religion the truth of God’s word its inherency its impeccability the deity of Jesus his blood sacrifice the things that we hold dear people laugh at they mock it has always been that way 1 Corinthians chap 1:18 for the preaching of the Cross is to them that perish foolishness I’m going to tell you something folks

they’re going to laugh at you if you believe uh this oldtime religion then I I want you to consider the company that you’re in when they laugh at you you know better than Jesus I’ve already told you that if they mock the Lord Jesus they’re going to mock at you now if nobody is laughing at you if you haven’t been ridiculed perhaps Satan doesn’t think that you’re worthy of any worry but if you’re getting some Flack it just may mean that you’re over the Target now just consider the company

that you’re in and consider the reward that’s yours for being lefted at Jesus said blessed are you when men shall persecute you and revile you and say all manner of evil against you falsely for my sake Rejoice now listen and be exceeding glad for great is your reward if somebody laughs at you because of your faith you ought to go home and throw a party say how wonderful it is that people can see a difference in me Satan will attack you personally Satan will attack this church with derision if you’re enjoying this

message from Adrien Rogers and would like to dig a little deeper into today’s topic download this free companion Bible study use the link above to get yours and secondly Satan is going to attack biew with discouragement with discouragement look in Nehemiah chapter 4 verse 10 and Judah said now Judah was one of the leaders and Judah said the strength of the bearers of burdens is decayed and there is much rubbish so that we are not able to build a wall that’s sad they were discouraged and the discouragement did

not come from the outside this time Satan used somebody from the inside do you ever get discouraged discouraged discouragement is one of life’s most deadly diseases it’s Universal and it’s reoccurring but thank God it can be cured now what are the causes of discouragement well number one they were worn out there’s the problem of fatigue look in Nehemiah 4:1 the strength of the bearers of burdens is decayed sometimes we get tired Vince Lombardi the famous former coach of Green Bay Packers said fatigue

makes cowards of us all sometimes the most spiritual thing we can do is go to bed did you know that here these people were worn out and when did this come when did this discouragement come when they were half done right in the middle look if you will in chapter 4: 6 so we built so built we the wall and the wall was joined together unto the half they were half done and not only were they worn out they were weighted down look if you will in Nehemiah 4:10 and Judah said the strength of the Bears of burdens is decayed why he said that there’s much

rubbish so that we’re not able to build a wall you will face rubbish serving the lord Jesus Christ is not always glamorous now you can’t build without stones but those stones sometimes are buried in rubbish but you can’t build on rubbish either Church listen to me it’s not going to be just all easy all honey and no Bees if the devil cannot laugh you out of service to the Lord Jesus Christ in your personal life and corporate life then he will try to discourage you and he’ll come when the job is half done and

say it can’t be done you are worn out you are weighted down it cannot be done and it’s sad when this comes from within there are those who tell you that it cannot be done but it can be done don’t you let the devil discourage you and talk you out of a work for the Lord Jesus now here’s the Third Way that say will come against you not not only will he come with derision to laugh you out of a work for God or not will only will he come with discouragement to cause you to lie down and quit but he will also come with

dismay he will try to frighten you out of a work for God look now in Nehemiah 4 and: 11 and our adversar said they shall not know neither see till we come in the midst among them and slay them and cause the work to cease you see terrorism is is not new he says when they’re walk working on the wall we’re going to pounce them they W know where we’ve come from and we are going to kill them now you see Satan’s not always dainty Satan is not above taking your life killing you inciting somebody to do that friend if they sought to put our

Lord to death don’t you think they want to put us to death Jesus said the time will come when they who slay you will think that they have done God a favor Satan will stop at nothing now what do you do when Satan comes to give you dismay to frighten you away from a work for God if he can’t laugh you away and if he can’t discourage you away he’ll try to threaten you away well do what Nehemiah did number one remember the Lord Nehemiah 4:14 look at it and I looked and Rose up and said unto the Nobles and to the

rulers and to the rest of the people be not ye afraid of them remember the Lord now the time’s going to come when to be a Bible Christian will be dangerous and so what Nehemiah says to his people look remember the Lord and then he says number two reflect on the issues look if you will again in Nehemiah 4:14 remember the Lord which is great and terrible and fight for your brethren your sons and your daughters your wives and your houses remember what’s it St remember your sons your daughters your wives your

houses stand up for Jesus ye soldiers of the Cross Satan will attack with derision Satan will attack with discouragement Satan will attack with dismay now listen folks resist the enemy look if you will now in Nehemiah 4 and verse 18 for the builders every one of them had his sword GED by his side and so builded and he that sounded the trumpet was by me they were building and battling at the same time and so must you be the devil would like to terrify you but the Bible says in nothing be terrified by your adversaries to the

contrary James 4:7 says resist the devil and he’ll flee from you not enough for you to say I’m not afraid of the devil the devil ought to be afraid of you a man armed in the power and the anointing of almighty God now again number four Satan will attack bie with Discord look if you will in Nehemiah chap 5 and verse verse verse one and there was a great Cry of the people and of their wives against their Brethren the Jews now Satan if he can’t intimidate us with bodily harm or humiliate us with laughter he will try to seow Discord

among the Brethren that’s why I preached last Sunday on a unified church and here in this these people supposed to be building they they turned against one another there was Discord in the ranks and I remind you that the devil had rather start a church fuss than to open a porno Palace are you going to let Satan divide you as a church no but here’s what happened there was a Discord you know what it was over was over finances and some people didn’t like the way the finances were being handled and very frankly they were not

doing the best job of handling the finances there are no problems too big to solve only people too small to solve them and Satan will attack this church and any church uh with just SC now next Satan will attack us with distraction look if you will now in Nehemiah 6 verses 1-4 and it came to pass when San balot and tobiah and gup the Arabian and the rest of the enemies heard that I had builded the wall and that there was no breach left therein though at that time I had not set up the doors upon the gates that sand bellet

and gam said unto me come let us meet together in some one of the villages in the the plane of Ono but they thought to do me Mischief now they couldn’t stop the work so they said let’s um let’s come down here and talk about this thing stop building the gates are not there but come let’s have a little conference but Nehemiah said they they sought to do me Mischief they uh they really did not uh want to help me what they wanted to do was to distract me from the work Satan will try to distract this

church why are we built why are we here what is our purpose what is it to magnify Jesus Through Worship in the word to make Jesus uh to move Believers in Jesus toward maturity and Ministry to make Jesus known to our neighbors and the Nations and the devil will try to distract us and to get us to do something else to come aside and uh and sit down and uh talk about these things Paul uh Nehemiah said I can’t do it I’m doing a great work and I will not come down we’re here to glorify Jesus and to Wi over now say

Amen some of you mothers are doing a great work as a mother to your children but somebody says well you need to stop that and go out into the job market and get a job now if you have to do that to put food on the table or uh covering over the heads or clothes on the back fine if you have to do it but if you are a mother raising little children you are doing a great work and the devil will say oh step down stay with the church you’re doing a great job do not come down now and I must finish but Satan will also attack belie with

defamation Nehemiah 6: 5-8 then sand ballot his servant then sent sand ballot his servant unto me in the like manner the fifth time with an open letter in his hand wherein was written it is reported among the Heathen and gashu sayth it that thou and the Jews think to Rebel for the which cause thou buildest the wall that thou mayest be their King according to their their words now here was a rumor a vicious rumor to defame them they said you building these walls we know why you’re building these walls you’re building a kingdom for

yourselves you ever heard anybody say uh that Pastor is motivated by personal gain or Pride or ambition that’s what they said about Nehemiah he doesn’t really love God he’s really not doing a spiritual thing he is trying to set himself up as some kind of a king and notice how he did it some individual gash muw sayth that who in the world is GMU and there was an open letter very much like a letter to the editor to defame God’s people there’re always those listen you’re never more you’re never more like

the devil never more like the devil when you spread rumors about godly people never when you defame the good and the Godly you’re doing the work of the devil a little three-year-old had heard the model prayer she didn’t get it right but I think she did she said and forgive us our trash baskets as we forgive others who put trash in our baskets don’t let somebody put trash in your basket I’m I’ve just got to finish this message but there are people who say things that they have no business saying a Godly Pastor was doing a good

job but two men in the church didn’t like him they came to him and they said pastor we think you should be the pastor no longer in this church and uh we’re going to ask you to step aside and resign he said well gentlemen thank you for coming to me he said I tell you what I’ll do I will take it to the Lord and pray over it and I’ll get back with you they said all right we’ll meet next week next week came and they met and the men said well what did God say to you Pastor said God said he’d never heard of you two guys

what I’m trying to say is this there are always people who be used of the devil to defame the good well I’ve got to quit now Church you listen to me in this time Satan will do everything he can do to get you to come down from the wall and by God’s grace you’re not going to do it you’re not going to do it you’re going to be God’s people and you’re not going to let derision or discouragement our division or dismay or defamation or any other thing keep you from being a steadfast church and God’s

Jesus Christ you have a purpose for living and you have a hope in dying and you’re saved by believing that Jesus Christ died on the cross and paid your sin debt with his shed blood and when you put your faith where God has put your sins you’ll be saved would you pray oh Lord Jesus I need you and I want you come into my heart forgive my my sin and save me father I pray that many will do that today in Jesus holy name [Music] [Music]