Rebuilding Broken Lives

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• Rebuilding Broken Lives
• Nehemiah 6
• Page 407 in Pew Bibles

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Nehemiah 61-19

• When Sanballat, Tobiah, Geshem the Arab, and the
  rest of our enemies heard that I had rebuilt the
  wall and that no gap was left in itthough at
  that time I had not installed the doors in the
  gates
• Sanballat and Geshem sent me a message Come,
  lets meet together in the villages of the Ono
  Valley. But they were planning to harm me.

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• So I sent messengers to them, saying, I am
  doing a great work and cannot come down. Why
  should the work cease while I leave it and go
  down to you?
• Four times they sent me the same proposal, and I
  gave them the same reply.
• Sanballat sent me this same message a fifth time
  by his aide, who had an open letter in his hand.

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• In it was written It is reported among the
  nationsand Geshem agreesthat you and the Jews
  plan to rebel. This is the reason you are
  building the wall. According to these reports,
  you are to become their king
• and have even set up the prophets in Jerusalem
  to proclaim on your behalf There is a king in
  Judah. These rumors will be heard by the king.
  So come, lets confer together.

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• Then I replied to him, There is nothing to these
  rumors you are spreading you are inventing them
  in your own mind.
• For they were all trying to intimidate us,
  saying, They will become discouraged in the
  work, and it will never be finished. But now, my
  God, strengthen me.

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• I went to the house of Shemaiah son of Delaiah,
  son of Mehetabel, who was restricted to his
  house . He said Let us meet at the house of God
  inside the temple. Let us shut the temple doors
  because they are coming to kill you. They are
  coming to kill you tonight!
• But I said, Should a man like me run away? How
  can I enter the temple and live? I will not go.

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• I realized that God had not sent him, because
  of the prophecy he spoke against me. Tobiah and
  Sanballat had hired him.
• He was hired, so that I would be intimidated, do
  as he suggested, sin, and get a bad reputation,
  in order that they could discredit me.

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• My God, remember Tobiah and Sanballat for what
  they have done, and also Noadiah the prophetess
  and the other prophets who wanted to intimidate
  me.

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• The wall was completed in 52 days, on the
  twenty-fifth day of the month Ellul.
• When all our enemies heard this, all the
  surrounding nations were intimidated and lost
  their confidence, for they realized that this
  task had been accomplished by our God.

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• During those days, the nobles of Judah sent many
  letters to Tobiah, and Tobiahs letters came to
  them.
• For many in Judah were bound by oath to him,
  since he was a son-in-law of Shecaniah son of
  Arah, and his son Jehohanan had married the
  daughter of Meshullam son of Berechiah.
• These nobles kept mentioning Tobiahs good deeds
  to me, and they reported my words to him. And
  Tobiah sent letters to intimidate me.

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• Rebuilding Broken Lives
• Nehemiah 6

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The Timing

• Vs. 1 When Sanballat, Tobiah, Geshem the Arab,
  and the rest of our enemies heard that I had
  rebuilt the wall and that no gap was left in
  itthough at that time I had not installed the
  doors in the gates

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Four Sources of Intimidation

• How Leaders Can Face Them Down

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1. Decapitation

• Decapitate To remove the leader essential to the
  success of a people
• Vs. 2 Sanballat and Geshem sent me a message
  Come, lets meet together in the villages of the
  Ono Valley. But they were planning to harm me.

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1. Decapitation

• How to Avoid the Traps
• Be Discerning
• Vs. 2 But they were planning to harm me.

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1. Decapitation

• How to Avoid the Traps

• Be Determined to Stay on Task
• Vs. 3 So I sent messengers to them, saying, I
  am doing a great work and cannot come down. Why
  should the work cease while I leave it and go
  down to you?
• Vs. 4 Four times they sent me the same
  proposal, and I gave them the same reply.

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1. Decapitation

• Dont let them take you out of the game
• Who is counting on you?
• Husband? Dad? Boss?
• Many who dont think of themselves as leaders are
  key people in the lives of others

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2. Misrepresentation

• People will misrepresent your actions or your
  motives
• Vs. 5-6 Sanballat sent me this same message a
  fifth time by his aide, who had an open letter in
  his hand. In it was written It is reported among
  the nationsand Geshem agreesthat you and the
  Jews plan to rebel.

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2. Misrepresentation

• Vs. 6-7 This is the reason you are building
  the wall. According to these reports, you are to
  become their king and have even set up the
  prophets in Jerusalem to proclaim on your behalf
  There is a king in Judah. These rumors will be
  heard by the king.

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2. Misrepresentation

• 4 Characteristics of Rumors
• Sources are not identified
• It is reported
• Rumors are exaggerated or plain false
• You and the Jews plan to rebel. This is the
  reason you are building the wall

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2. Misrepresentation

• 4 Characteristics of Rumors

• Are believable enough to do real damage
• These rumors will be heard by the king
• Are designed to hurt
• Vs. 9 For they were all trying to intimidate
  us, saying, They will become discouraged in the
  work, and it will never be finished.

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2. Misrepresentation

• How to Deal with Rumors
• Vs. 8 Then I replied to him, There is nothing
  to these rumors you are spreading you are
  inventing them in your own mind.
• Call rumors what they are rumors
• Calmly deny them, but dont feel obligated to
  give a detailed explanation.
• Those who trust you will believe you.
• Your enemies dont care what the truth is.

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2. Misrepresentation

• How to Deal with Rumors

• Cause rumor mongers to own their words
• These rumors you are spreading
• Counter a rumors effect with prayer
• NKJV For they all were trying to make us
  afraid, saying, "Their hands will be weakened in
  the work, and it will not be done. "Now
  therefore, O God, strengthen my hands.

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3. Temptation Vs. 10-14

• Vs. 10 I went to the house of Shemaiah son of
  Delaiah, son of Mehetabel, who was restricted to
  his house. He said Let us meet at the house of
  God inside the temple. Let us shut the temple
  doors because they are coming to kill you. They
  are coming to kill you tonight!

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3. Temptation

• Vs. 13 He was hired, so that I would be
  intimidated, do as he suggested, sin, and get a
  bad reputation, in order that they could
  discredit me.
• The process of entrapment
• You are Deceived
• You are Disobedient
• You are Discredited

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3. Temptation

• How to Avoid Being Entrapped
• Have the Courage to Stand Your Ground
• Vs. 11 But I said, Should a man like me run
  away?

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3. Temptation

• How to Avoid Being Entrapped
• Know the Scriptures

• Vs. 11 How can I enter the temple and live? I
  will not go.
• Vs. 12 I realized that God had not sent him,
  because of the prophecy he spoke against me.
  Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him.

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4. Collaboration

• Collaboration To cooperate treasonably, as with
  an enemy occupation force in ones country
  American Heritage Dictionary

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4. Collaboration

• Communication with the Enemy
• Vs. 17 During those days, the nobles of Judah
  sent many letters to Tobiah, and Tobiahs letters
  came to them.

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4. Collaboration

• Ties to the Enemy
• Vs. 18 For many in Judah were bound by oath to
  him, since he was a son-in-law of Shecaniah son
  of Arah, and his son Jehohanan had married the
  daughter of Meshullam son of Berechiah.
• Family and economic ties

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4. Collaboration

• Doing PR for the Enemy
• Vs. 19 These nobles kept mentioning Tobiahs
  good deeds to me...
• Making constant comparisons as a way of showing
  disrespect for him as a leader
• Gathering Intelligence for the Enemy
• Vs. 19 and they reported my words to him.

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4. Collaboration

• Delivering Messages for the Enemy
• Vs. 19 And Tobiah sent letters to intimidate
  me.

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4. Collaboration

• When surrounded by collaborators, surround
  yourself with faithful brothers
• 71-2 When the wall had been rebuilt and I had
  the doors installed, the gatekeepers, singers,
  and Levites were appointed. Then I put my brother
  Hanani in charge of Jerusalem, along with
  Hananiah, commander of the fortress, because he
  was a faithful man who feared God more than
  most.

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5. Vindication

• Vs. 15-16 The wall was completed in 52 days, on
  the twenty-fifth day of the month Ellul. When all
  our enemies heard this, all the surrounding
  nations were intimidated and lost their
  confidence, for they realized that this task had
  been accomplished by our God.

HL
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5. Vindication

• Vs. 15-16 The wall was completed in 52 days, on
  the twenty-fifth day of the month Ellul. When all
  our enemies heard this, all the surrounding
  nations were intimidated and lost their
  confidence, for they realized that this task had
  been accomplished by our God.

Literally, Fell in their own eyes

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5. Vindication

• Vs. 15-16 The wall was completed in 52 days, on
  the twenty-fifth day of the month Ellul. When all
  our enemies heard this, all the surrounding
  nations were intimidated and lost their
  confidence, for they realized that this task had
  been accomplished by our God.
• Whos intimidated now?

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• Rebuilding Broken Lives