But when Sanbelat the Hornite, and Tobiah the Ammonite servant, and Geshem the Arab heard of it, they jeered at us, and despised us, and said, What is this thing that you are doing? Are you rebelling against the king? Then I replied to them, The God of heaven will make us prosper, and we his servants will arise and build, but you have no portion or right or claim in Jerusalem. Amen, dear saints. You may be seated tonight. This evening, we are finishing the second chapter of the book of Nehemiah. And if you were to look ahead, you'd notice there are 13. We're not covering every single verse in Nehemiah. It's mostly a verse-by-verse series, but it is not in every case. There'll be a little bit of surveying in some of the chapters. But before we go into it tonight, let's pray together. Father, thank you that we are in your presence again. We pray that you'll grant us grace to receive Jesus Christ in his fullness again tonight, to feed on him the bread of life, and to be built up in our most holy faith. This we pray in Jesus' name, amen. God's children are peaceable, peace-loving, tranquility, hoping for people. After all, the Church is purchased by the Prince of Peace, and we just celebrated that fact at Advent season in kind of a special way. But in a fallen world, we do sometimes have no alternative but to find ourselves in the fray of battles, and this almost always, at one point or another, takes the form of words. Well, that makes sense because words form concepts, and concepts are the building blocks of doctrine, and the doctrine of Christ is the measure of our life or death according to the Bible itself, as in 1 Timothy 4.16. And therefore, though it is always difficult and almost always unpleasant, we will and do fail our blessed Savior Himself if we do not follow his own example and train, as we read about it earlier in the Gospel of Luke tonight, by defending the truth, the Gospel, the Church, and the Holy Scriptures themselves when necessary. Accordingly, let's make it our goal this evening to grow in our faith in Jesus by prevailing through a war of words. We'll look at just two verses. Very interesting ones. We've met these three people before, Sanballat, Tobiah, and Geshem. But we're going to see them here in Nehemiah 2, 19 and 20. A war of words. First the doctrine. God's people are sometimes forced to speak to the church's enemies. And whereas almost all of us would rather avoid a fight if possible, there are times when this is just not possible. And such was Nehemiah's situation that we find in his text given to us tonight. And it will be our circumstance from time to time as well. God's people are sometimes forced to speak to the Church's enemies. When this is necessary, it must be on Christ's terms. When Jesus dealt with his, the Church's, foes, he normally employed one of two tactics, and this is very interesting and informative. One of them was simply to ignore them, as he sometimes did, especially with regard to the Pharisees, and an example of that is Matthew 15, 13, and 14. And the other tactic that our Lord Jesus employed that we should also do is to preach directly at them. Now I know that you don't have that situation in your life, but there's still this sense of speaking kind of directly at them and the problem. And the Messiah did this also with the Pharisees who made themselves his opponents so often in the gospel accounts. A classic example of that is Luke 20 verse 19. Now this latter alternative is an example when words must be spoken in order to maintain the honor and glory of God and the dignity of the church and the honor of a Christian believer. There are times where it's just plain necessary for us to do it. Now there are other times where that's not the case, and we just referenced that. Jesus did not always feel compelled upon himself to speak to those who were opposing him. But there are other times when it is necessary, and typically wisdom and discretion, which are formed and developed in the crucibles of trial and hardship and suffering and maturity, must be the determining factors, wisdom and discretion. And when words must be used, and when the context is the work of the Church or the doctrines of our holy faith, The ground rules that believers are to employ, and this is very key and critical, are to be those of our Lord Jesus Christ and not the world's rules. That's the difference. So keep that in mind that when we engage in these sorts of, if you will, discussions or controversies, we must be doing it on on Christ's ground rules. There will be more on that in just a while. So, God's people are sometimes forced to speak to the church's enemies, when this is necessary it must be on Christ's terms, which make no allowance for compromise of essentials. C-O-M-P-R-O-M-I-S-E. Compromise is to to allow for something that we should not. Essentials is what's most important. There's always plenty of room for give and take on non-essentials of life and even the faith to some extent. But there is never any justification for a Christian churchman to cave in on the cardinal doctrines of our most holy faith. And that would of course include the doctrine of Christ, the doctrine of the Church, the doctrine of the Bible, the doctrine of the Incarnation, the Atonement. Those very cardinal key doctrines, they cannot be compromised on. I might also say, as per today's text, that would include the work of building up the church, because after all, was that not what Nehemiah was doing in Jerusalem by repairing the walls there? We'll notice in tonight's text that Nehemiah, and this is key, does not in any way parlay, P-A-R-L-A-Y, that's not in your outline, but parlay or enter into a bilateral negotiation process with his three opponents that are confronting him here, Sanballat, Tobiah, and Geshem. He doesn't enter into any kind of bilateral negotiation process that would put them on an equal footing. That's important. When it comes to the issues of faith, that isn't allowed. Now, I realize that this requires maturity, and it's not something that we would call upon every Christian to engage in. But where we grow in our faith, we need to understand that. So how do we know if we have compromised on the essentials or not? Well, in our discussions with those who might be opposing us, the questions might be, are we doubting the plain truths of the Gospel of Grace and the Lord Jesus Christ and the things that we know to be the case? And are we weakening in any way our conviction about what God has called us to do? So if somebody is challenging what we do, why we do it, or something of this nature, we don't want to give in on that. So if we have, then it's evidence that we've given too much wiggle room to the threats and intimidations of our foes, and that in itself is not to operate on Christ's terms. So let's look at Nehemiah. Again, he was a peace-loving guy, just like you and I are. He didn't go to Jerusalem looking to get into a big with these people, but the fight came to him, and so he had to do something about it. So let's look at these verses and consider the church's strategy for winning the war of words. Again, God's children don't relish these kinds of fights, but for the glory of Christ, when we're in one, we definitely need to prevail and be victorious. Therefore, from Nehemiah's example, let us discover just how to do that. And these are three very helpful principles. The strategy for winning the war of words, verse 19, expect deceptive resistance, D-E-C-E-P-T-I-V-E, lying resistance, if you will, verse 19. But when Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite servant and Geshem the Arab heard of it, They jeered at us and despised us and said, what is this thing that you are doing? Are you rebelling against the king? So notice together, dears, what these three men who made themselves the opponents of Nehemiah, Geshem and Sanballat and Tobiah, notice what they do because it's quite typical And this noticing it and understanding it will aid us when we engage the same kind of opposition to our faith, our love for Christ, our church, etc. First, three things come out of this. First, there is the tactic of ridicule. The text says, they jeered or laughed at us. Of course, when this happens, we don't need to be much moved, but it is something that, especially in younger, less mature Christians, can be unsettling. And it is something that the world and Satan does like to use. The second tactic is the approach of disdain. The text says they, quote, despised us. So they're looking down their noses at them, they're loathing them and what they're doing because they want the betterment of the city of Jerusalem, where the old covenant church was centered. And then the last one though is by far the most pernicious or dangerous, and this is the device of deception. Notice what they do, they ask this question. Are you rebelling against the king? Now they knew that that wasn't true because everyone knew that he had come there with a sanction of King Artaxerxes and actually had the letters to prove it. But this scheme here of deception is the devil's strategy wherein he always operates because he is the father of lies and the teller of lies. So in order to confuse or disorient or distract God's people, his church, he will lie. Now we might recall what Satan did in the Garden of Eden in Genesis 3.1 with regard to Eve. He says to her, has God indeed said, you shall not eat of every tree of the garden? Which in itself is a very confusing question. And it twists what God actually did say. There in Genesis 3, as here in Nehemiah 2, God had allowed Adam and Eve to eat of all but one tree in the garden. despite Satan's deceptions, and Nehemiah here, despite those three people that were opposing him, had indeed received a royal commission from God himself and also from King Artaxerxes to go to Jerusalem and begin the work on the wall. So this device of asking if they were rebelling against the king was potentially unsettling, but Nehemiah does not give into it either. We are wise to recognize that the church's contestants don't come to us with integrity or fair mind or open minds, okay? Rather, they come with a slight of hand, which is a way of saying with trickery and deceit. So, that's important. If we're gonna win the strategy of a war of words, using a good strategy, first thing we need to do is expect, be realistic, don't be idealistic, especially with worldlings, especially when the church is engaging in important labor. Expect deceptive resistance. Now verse 20a, assert positive grace. Now this is like the opposite pole here, but this is now the people of God speaking. Then I, Nehemiah, replied to them, the God of heaven will make us prosper, and we his servants will arise and build." Now please notice something here that's interesting. Nehemiah employs Jesus' first strategy I mentioned earlier, in that he basically ignores all the deceit of these three adversaries that was just put out. He doesn't even address it. He doesn't even try to answer this question, are you rebelling against the king, etc. Instead, he makes two powerful and positive points. The first is, quote, the God of heaven will make us prosper. That's a really bold statement, especially talking to people that didn't even believe in Yahweh, the true God. And the other one is, quote, We, his servants, will arise and build. In other words, Nehemiah is saying, despite anything you try to do or say to us in discouraging us or blocking us, we're still going to do it. And of course they did, but they got even more resistance as we'll go through this book as you'll notice. Now, both of those positive assertions by Nehemiah are transcendent answers that can completely skirt the deviousness of those three men and boldly and confidently declare not only the existence of the one true God, but of the fact that the one true God calls his church to build up. the kingdom of God in whatever era and epoch we find ourselves. So Nehemiah was not going to be deterred by them. One might also possibly detect an implicit invitation to these three guys to agree with God's servants who will arise and build, but if they do not lay down their arms against the Lord, Nehemiah will not, does not, and has no interest in dealing any further with them. So, basically, Nehemiah discharges his verbal duties with them, at least in this first round of encounter, or second, almost, in this book, and he will not any further address them. And so it is with the Gospel. The Church proclaims it to all people everywhere, Those who continue to resist it are going to remain in our prayers, but they're not going to be permanently camped upon by us, as we, like Jesus himself, sometimes must move on from them to others that are open to the good news, as per Matthew 10, 14. So the church's strategy for winning the war of words, expect deceptive resistance, assert positive grace, verse 20b, honor covenantal boundaries. but you have no portion or right or claim in Jerusalem. Now here, Nehemiah is simply asserting and speaking the truth. Those three men, Sanballat, Tobiah, and Geshem, had no real entitlement to be involved in the process of what was happening in Jerusalem with regard to the wall building and the strengthening of the Old Covenant community. They were, after all, not circumcised members of the covenant of the church, and they had no rights or privileges thereof. Same thing is true today, whether people realize it or not. People that are not baptized in water are not, in that sense, Christians, and they're not, in that sense, in the covenant. Here, these people had no marks of the covenant upon them because they were not members thereof. And Nehemiah is simply being honest. His words may seem a little hard to us. Look at them. You have no portion or right or claim in Jerusalem. But the truth is, they didn't. Now, of course, you know, we've heard from this pulpit numerous times that the Church gives squatters' rights to people that are outside of Christ. We don't kill them. We don't eliminate them. We treat them with respect as people created in the image of God. We seek their salvation. We seek their betterment. We seek to bring Jesus to them. We seek to preach the Gospel to them. We seek to serve them. But we don't pretend that they are us because they aren't. And until they become in Christ, we have to face that fact. And it is important to be honest and honorable as Nehemiah is here. And too much, really, religion today that purports to be Christian is promoted by those who have, and I'm quoting him, no right or portion or claim in the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ. So tonight, I want to do some really exciting application of these two verses. I think you'll find them very helpful, and I think for our young people, especially helpful. So, let's look together at why a war of words is not all bad for us. You know, we can learn and grow a lot through all kinds of circumstances, including going to battle for Jesus against those who oppose him and us and our faith. So, why is it that a war of words is not all bad for us? Well, first, because it reinforces our core beliefs. This next statement is true and it's very important. We all, every human being, fights for, puts forth energy for what we believe, whether we realize it or not. And that's not only true of Christians, it's true of everybody. Everybody is passionate about something. Everyone worships something. Everyone has a God. And we, having the true God, should be especially passionate about Him, even as He is about us, as we saw this morning from 1 Corinthians 3, 16 and 17, where God boldly declared that those who would destroy His temple, He Himself will destroy. So there's a lot at stake. And for the true believers in Jesus, or the believers in the truth of who Jesus is, this means putting our hearts on the line for him, his gospel, his church, his worship, his day, and his purposes and mission in the world. We call covenant children before the session of the church for good reason. so that they can speak, articulate, confirm, and even to some extent defend what they believe about Jesus, their faith, the gospel, the church, and the cardinal doctrines of our holy religion. One of the great things about our Christian education in this church is that often our young people are asked to have their faith a challenge and give them an opportunity to defend it. Locked up beliefs may be treasured by a soul, but the encouragement and evidence of their true value is best achieved through verbalization or speaking it. There's really, this whole thing about speaking our faith is not really optional. You know, you read the Gospels, Jesus requires it. You read Romans 10, who believes with the heart and speaks with the mouth, the Lord Jesus will be saved, we are required to speak our faith. This isn't something we have the option of not doing. And so, oftentimes God will use situations like these to cause us to learn how to do it. And after all, many of you who have done some teaching either in the church or at business settings, you know that the best way to learn a subject is to teach it to others. And you can't teach without speaking. And that same thing is in play here. So, why a war of words is not all bad for us? Because it reinforces our core beliefs by forcing us to articulate our faith. A-R-T-I-C-U-L-A-T-E. Children, articulate means to speak our faith. Again, I just referred to this, but this is the point I want to close with tonight. Unless we are actually challenged with regard to what we believe, and God will make sure that that happens in our lives in one way or another, we will too often not speak our faith. In other words, God even uses our enemies for our good to train us churchmen in how to speak our faith, how to assert the truth about Jesus in love. and as powerfully and effectively as we can. And of course that takes time, and we're going to mess it up sometimes, and we're going to learn and grow as time goes on, and maturity and years make a difference, but we have to start somewhere. And therefore, dears, don't ever be intimidated or confused or surprised by an assailant's assault upon your faith or upon you, the bearer of Christ, the one in whom the Spirit of God dwells. Don't be intimidated by that. And that may indeed necessitate a truthful and gracious response from us. Not in kind, not in cruelty, not in deception as it comes to us, but in effectiveness and in truthfulness as much as we can in clarity and love. As you are in Christ and in the covenant of the church, you are armed with the truth. And we of all people are most blessed in that regard. So therefore, we ought to go out there this week As peace-loving citizens of heaven and earth, as members of the church militant, as peace-loving, not looking for a brawl, not looking for a fight, But being well-armed and equipped, having the sword of the Spirit, the Word of God, the testimony of our faith, the shield of faith, helmet of salvation, breastplate of righteousness, shoes shod with the readiness for the gospel of peace, belt of truth around our waist, tying it all together, and that is the truth of Jesus. Go out there as peace-loving citizens and speak the gospel of grace with loving grace to all, even to those who oppose us." So, beloved, a war of words was won and settled on the cross. Jesus had taken on his foes and they may have thought they had won by finally crucifying him. But what hung over his head, this is the king of the Jews, is true and he's also the king of us and the world. On the cross, the priceless lamb shed his precious blood for all of us in the church and many of those outside who may even now be opposing us will be those like Paul, Saul, the terrorist who became Paul, the apostle. Let's pray together, shall we? Father, thank you that a war of words is sometimes a thing that happens to us. Pastors, elders, deacons, parishioners that have been in the church for a while, they know what this is all about. Help us to be those peaceful, ironic folk, but not unwise. wise as serpents, gentle as doves, and always being willing to preach and teach and speak the truth in love, but never allowing our foes to have, if you will, the final word. Always giving Jesus Christ the glory as best we possibly can. We pray that that will be our situation. We pray with thanks in Jesus' name. Amen.