FIGHT FOR YOUR FAMILY

BIBLE PASSAGE: NEHEMIAH 4:1-23

Picture taken from Google

Lesson Prepared by: Krisha of Solomon’s Wisdom FB page

NOVEMBER 20, 2022

 

MEMORY VERSE

Except the Lord build the house, they labour in vain that build it: except the Lord keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain.

PSALMS 127:1

 

INTRODUCTION:

There is no such thing as a “perfect family” and because of that every family have struggles to face. I don’t know each one of us here the struggles you are all facing right now but whether we like it or not there are battles we need to overcome. Every family wants to be known the best family when compared to others in your environment or circle of friends but no matter what we do, other families fail. The verse reminds us in Psalms 127:1; let’s recite.

I remember one of the activities in our DCUbes group is to ask the members what are the struggles the family is facing. I’ll show you some of the pictures.

 

With the examples given and the news we heard every day, is FAMILY under attack? Is fighting for your family worth it? Yes, because it’s constant struggle and a constant dynamic that we need to work on – your relationship to your spouse, your relationship to your kids and to your relationship to your parents.  God is calling us is to stand and fight for your family. To help us understand about the fight, we’re going to look at Nehemiah.

I know most of us know so well the character on our passage. Nehemiah has the assignment of being the cup bearer; he has the job the responsibility of drinking king’s cup and eat from the king’s plate before the king. Just in case it’s poisoned then he would die and the king would not drink or eat. How many of us want that job? One day while he was serving this king and in country where he is from gets word back in his homeland of Jerusalem. The city is in disarray, the people are in disturbed, discomfort and felt insecurity and the walls of the city have been destroyed. Nobody has been able to repair these walls for hundreds of years. Imagine your brethren, your relatives, your love ones are in great danger. This burden rest on Nehemiah’s heart; this burden that he has is to go back and rebuild the walls. The king sees his distress and unhappiness and ask him what’s going on. Then the king releases him to go back to his homeland to work on the walls and not just to release him and also he gives him money to make the trip and also resources to rebuild the walls.

Some of us are like Nehemiah in our life. In our life, we have an assignment; God has a mission for our life that He wants us to do. We learn from the story of Nehemiah some lessons that we have to take into consideration whenever we have an assignment. All of us have purpose to fulfill. We were not just born to study, work and have money to sustain life. We have an assignment in our family. Let’s see how Nehemiah handle this assignment and we learn from it.

In verse 1 (read in tagalog), we see that there are people who don’t like Nehemiah doing. The people ridiculed and mocked them, the Jews, let’s read verse 2. The people thought, they could not possible rebuild it. Personally speaking, there are some things in our life that God wants to rebuild some stuff in our life: some stuff in your marriage, your children, your parents, and some stuff in our finances. When doing God’s assignment, expect that there are people who would not be happy for it. The enemy will be trying to make you quit or turn around and go in a different direction so that you can’t fulfill your purpose. In verse 4, the people who are against thinking that what the Nehemiah and his men doing is not going to amount up too much. Some of us today have sought to do some. From this verse we can see that what may be much to people, God can take and blow it up. Like in Nehemiah’s time, the enemy wants to discourage us and let’s see how they responded. They responded by praying let’s read verses 4 and 5. In verse 6, they built the wall because they had the mind to work. In verses 7 and 8, when the opposition saw that they almost rebuilt the wall, they went together to stop Nehemiah and his team. This made Nehemiah and the Jews had a watch day and night.  Verses 1 -9, we can see that the opposition is outsiders of the team but in verse 10, something else happened. Let’s take a look in verse 10, Judah, one of the tribes, said something kind of discouragement.  Judah started complaining, “there so much damage and the laborers are tired.” Some of us are like Judah, we see that the family’s problem is too much to handle and it’s impossible to be resolved it.  Not just outside oppositions inside there are also inside. God wants to restore your family, your career, your finances but you said “it’s too much rubbish.” In reality, we can’t do anything to rebuild it but with God, all things are possible.

In verses 11 and 12, the enemy didn’t know that there are some people surrounded them informed Nehemiah and his team about their plans. Even the oppositions planned together to destroy the works of Nehemiah, we can see that God’s favor is with Nehemiah and his team.

In protecting and rebuilding our family, there are oppositions: they may be outsiders and possible insiders too. But in verse 14 reminds us…

LESSON OUTLINE:

1.  BE NOT AFRAID OF THEM

In the midst of all this opposition, in the midst of all these people outside talking about them and the complain of Judah, Nehemiah said, “BE NOT AFRAID OF THEM” which says in verse 14. He looked and stood up to the nobles, to the rulers and to the rest of the people, BE NOT AFRAID OF THEM. There’s first thing we need to do is be not afraid of these opposition, people or enemy. Sometimes we can’t go forward because fear has kept us from doing anything. Let’s be reminded that God has not given the spirit of fear but of love, and of power and of a sound mind. If we are afraid, how can we protect our family. God has all the ability to equip us in our spiritual endeavors. 

 

John wanted the Christians to remember to be brave and not to be fearful of the enemy. This leads John to write to them greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world (1 John 4:4).

 

2.   REMEMBER THE LORD

In the next part in verse 14 is REMEMBER THE LORD.  Nehemiah was facing a task that was impossible to complete. They had not been able to rebuild those walls in hundreds of years and he did the completion in 52 days. It took Nehemiah 52 days to reinforce the gaps and rebuild the wall. He gathered his people together, he equipped them, and he led them in rebuilding the city walls of Jerusalem. Was he able to do that because he had the leadership quality or bright ideas? He was able to that because he remembered the Lord who is great and terrible. When you are in the midst of doing something you got to have the kind of courage and faith in the midst of your fear.  God allowed you to have trouble yesterday so that you could overcome it, so that when you face what you’re facing today you can remember where God has already brought you from.

Anybody ever had God do something that you know that nobody but God could have made that happen? What are the possible things family is facing right now? Your family is in great debt and it’s impossible to solve or pay it. Your family is in deep emotional problem between members and it’s impossible to patch up. Your parents are separated and it’s impossible to be in good terms. You can’t continue pursuing your studies because of unstable financial situation. ONLY GOD COULD MAKE IT HAPPEN!

 

3.  FIGHT FOR YOUR FAMILY USING THE WEAPON

In verse 13,

“Therefore set I in the lower places behind the wall, and on the higher places, I even set the people after their families with their swords, their spears, and their bows,” they are willing to fight.

 

This is a fight for your family moment. Fight for your brethren, fight for your sons and daughters, fight for your wives and fight for your houses. This is the time for you to fight that which you thought couldn’t be made right. Even it looks like in rubbish, looks like it has been burnt and looks like it’s no chance and family’s situation is full of drama., FIGHT FOR YOUR FAMILY.  BELIEVE GOD CAN RESTORE YOUR FAMILY.

 

Verse 17 says, “They which builded on the wall, and they that bare burdens, with those that laded, every one with one of his hands wrought in the work, and with the other hand held a weapon.”

 

Nehemiah and his team kept on building the wall. In one hand they had their hammer and in the other hand they had their SWORD. One hand keep doing the work has called you to do and the other hand have the weapons of warfare- keep on praying, keep on reading that word and keep on believing God.  

CONCLUSION:

Whether we accept it or not, family is at war. Remember the enemy’s purpose, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: and we are not fighting against flesh and blood.

WHAT IS THE BIGGEST BATTLE YOU ARE FIGHTING RIGHT NOW? Security of the family, fidelity in the family, safety in the family, peace in the family, balance in the family (no family communication), education in the family, and future of the family. LET’S FIGHT FOR OUR FAMILY!