Here's Pastor Alan Wright with today's blessing, a biblical faith-filled vision for your life. In your losses, big and small, I bless your soul. To feel the compassion of the Father of mercies, the God of all comfort. Those words from 2 Corinthians 1:3. I wish I could bless you with a promise of no affliction, no pain, no loss.
No grief. But God offers no pledge of pain-free living. He offers something. better. He offers his comfort.
He comforts us in all our afflictions so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the same comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. 2 Corinthians 1, 4 through 5. His comfort is greater than your sorrow. His grace is greater than your disappointment. His presence is greater than your grief.
Be comforted, child of God. The Lord is near. Pastor, author, and Bible teacher Alan Wright. All it takes is for another two feel that they weren't blessed like you. and it triggers something in the flesh.
and it promotes belittling. Only people that feel small belittle. That's Pastor Alan Wright. Welcome to another message of good news that will help you see your life in a whole new light. I'm Daniel Britt.
Excited for you to hear the teaching today in the series Nehemiah, Dreamer, Builder, Warrior, as presented at Renolda Church in North Carolina. If you're not able to stay with us throughout the entire program, I want to make sure you know how to get our special resource right now. For a limited time, this can be yours for your donation to Allen Wright Ministries. As you listen to today's message, go deeper as we send you today's special offer. Contact us at pastorallen.org.
That's pastorallen.org. Or call 877-544-4860. Again, by phone, 877-544-4860. More on this later in the program, but now let's get started with today's teaching. Here.
is Pastor Alan Wright. Uh We're in a study of Nehemiah, and today we come to chapter 4, and I want to begin in Nehemiah 4 with just these few verses, but we're going to actually walk through the whole chapter of Nehemiah 4, verse 15. Nehemiah's memoir continues: When our enemies heard that it was known to us and that God had frustrated their plan, we all returned to the wall, each to his work. From that day on, half of my servants worked on construction. half held the spears, shields, bows, and coats of mail.
And the leaders stood behind the whole house of Judah. who are building on the wall. Those who carried burdens were loaded in such a way that each labored on the work with one hand. and held his weapon with the other. and each of the builders had his sword strapped at his side while he built.
the man who sounded the trumpet. was beside me.
Okay, friends, are you ready for some good news? Though critics and opponents will always show up to be enemies of God's call in your life. You can become like Nehemiah's workers carrying a sword in one hand and a hammer in the other and be assured that victory is yours. I read this week about a funny thing that happened in Darlington, Maryland some years ago. Edith, a mother of eight, has stepped next door for just a moment.
And when she came home, five of her youngest children were huddled together in the family room. All encircling something that they looked like they were playing with and all interested in.
So the mothers sneaked up there to see what was the center of attention, and she could not believe her eyes. For there in the midst of all of her children, were a bunch of little skunks. No, no. The horrified mother just sort of panics and said, Children, run! And so they did.
Each one of them grabbed a skunk and ran. Yeah. Yeah. We come in Nehemiah's memoir today. to the place where we get a big whiff of the skunks.
Because in any adventure for God, great or small, whatever God calls you to. There comes with it Spiritual opposition. And we will learn of that today in what, in many ways, in chapter 4 is an unveiling of the anatomy of spiritual opposition. And we'll learn some wonderful principles from Nehemiah. In his leadership, and will ultimately have our hearts once again pointed to the true.
dreamer and builder and warrior, Jesus. And I am so taken by this image that is in verse 17: that those who carried burdens were loaded in such a way. that each labored on the work with one hand and held his weapon. and the other. It's a vivid and apt picture.
Of the Christian life, that we called by God, blessed beyond measure, and thrilled to be building the kingdom of God and doing so in the true koinonia of the uniting of partners in the gospel and every kind of good thing that goes with it, but we also faced opposition in the spirit. And I want to expose that. And I want us to have our hearts encouraged by Nehemiah's story. The first thing we learn from Nehemiah 4. It's a fight.
If you're going to walk with God, You're in a fight. a spiritual fight. You ever have these nostalgic moments where you just kind of long for that?
some kind of easier day. I reunited with an old tennis buddy and friend of mine, Andy, in the last couple years. He's been a delight. He was always one of my favorite people. We played tennis together as youth, traveled around, played tennis tournaments.
We were buddies. In high school, we were tennis partners, and we traveled together out west, camping across the country one summer in college. And I got. Separated, you know, he's in Colorado, I've been here, and we reconnected. And we went out, actually, went on tennis court and creaked around and hit a few balls, about five minutes.
But I just had this memory come back to me of some of those happy, happy days of playing tennis.
Some of my happiest memories, just playing tennis, not a care in the world. And I know I had this mental image come back to me of one day in the spring, Andy and I had been playing and practicing. And uh we had a good match going and we took a break and sat on the bleachers next to the tennis courts and drank some Gatorade and we pulled off our Our shirts. zero body fat. Looked up and let the sun just warm us for a bit, and this memory came back to me like.
Wow. And I've been trying to get back to that for 45 years ever since then. You ever get that feeling like I just could life get, could I just get a break from the battleground? Yes. And you realize I can't really get it.
Sometimes the battle is stronger, sometimes it lightens up, but you're in a battle. John. White wrote a book called The Fight, and I'm so glad somebody early in my Christian life recommended this book. Written by this brilliant psychologist and theological author, and he talks early in that book about you as a Christian. You've developed a relationship now with God, but he also says this: you have also established a new relationship with the powers of darkness.
Whatever you were before you became a Christian, you're now the sworn foe of the legions of hell. Have no delusions about their reality or their hostility. But do not fear them. The God inside you terrifies them. They cannot touch you, let alone hurt you.
But they can still seduce, and they will try. They'll also oppose you as you obey Christ. If you play it cool and decide not to be a fanatic about Christianity, you probably have no trouble from them. If you're serious about Christ being your Lord and God, You can expect Opposition. Resist the devil, writes James, and he'll flee from you.
Life with Jesus can be an exhilarating and reassuring experience of constant triumph over evil forces. But The battle never ends. Till Jesus comes back, this battle doesn't end.
Some days it's harder, some days it's easier. But Christians? You're in a fight. That's Alan Wright. And we'll have more teaching in a moment from today's important series.
Parents, are you ready for some good news? You can have a low-pressure, high-expectation home by God's grace. If you want your children to be their best without hounding, threatening, or pressuring them, there's good news. God's grace works in parenting. Shame and pressure offer only fleeting motivation while creating long-term, toxic anxiety in a child's heart.
But children thrive in the environment of grace.
Now, for the first time, Alan Wright has joined with his wife Ann to produce eight video sessions that blend humor, deep gospel insights, and loads of practical advice to equip parents and grandparents to raise their children in homes filled with grace and blessing. Use the videos for personal growth with your spouse or with your small group. The DVD album comes with a detailed study guide as well. When you make your gift this month, we'll send you the DVD album as our way of saying thanks for your partnership. Make your gift today and start raising kids by the power of the gospel.
This broadcast is only possible because of listener financial support. When you give today, we will send you today's special offer. We are happy to send this to you as our thanks from Allen Wright Ministries. Call us at eight seven seven five four four forty eight sixty. That's eight seven seven five four four forty eight sixty.
Or come to our website, pastorallen.org. Today's teaching now continues. Here once again is Alan Wright. There's no story in the Bible that tells about a saint who had it easy. Abraham and Sarah, they didn't have it easy.
They promised to. family, but it didn't come. for many, many years. Isaac, he faced a famine. Joseph had a God-given dream, but he was hated by his brothers, sold into slavery, falsely accused, thrown into prison.
long before he was ever exalted, Moses faced the threats of Pharaoh and the murmurings of his own people. It was miserable. David was anointed, but he Had to hide from Saul and he had to face the giant. And Jeremiah was called from his mother's womb to be a prophet, but he spent half his time weeping. They called him the weeping prophet.
He was so persecuted. And when the Messiah finally arrived, Shepherds came and adored him, and wise men enthroned him. And an evil tyrant wanted to kill him. And so it would be throughout his ministry, wouldn't it? Throngs of people would be around him, and he enjoyed the favor.
of God and the favor of people, but there were some people That violently opposed him and put him on a cross. Paul had a thorn, which was, he said, some sort of demonic opposition. That he wished he could get out of the spiritual battle, but he wasn't even released from it. There's no saint in the Bible. that could coast and had an easy time of it.
Because John White is right. When you have a relationship with God You also have a new relationship with the powers of hell. They'll want to resist every good thing God wants to do in you. Everything. every good relationship.
Every bit of the fruit of the Spirit in your life, and every bit of the calling that He gives to you. It's a fight. And what we get here is sort of an anatomy of this spiritual opposition. I'd like to say this as we start looking in chapter 4: is that. We need to ask God and develop discernment because one of the tricky things about discerning spiritual opposition.
is that sometimes our insecurity will make us try to demonize everybody and everything. because we don't want to receive any authentic critique. Most of us recoil at criticism because of our insecurities. But interesting, have you noticed how the businesses all want us to fill out surveys telling them what's wrong with them? I don't get it.
I was trying to get out of Cracker Barrel the other day, just wanted to pay. And I couldn't even put my card in the credit machine without asking whether I'd be willing to take a brief survey about my experience at Cracker Barrel. I don't know. I don't want to take a survey. I got my same grilled chicken tenders and green beans, and my wife shopped about the same amount of time.
No. But why do they want that?
Well, some, they just want to get a lot of likes, but mainly. If you want to get better at something, you need to get some feedback. How are you going to know?
So the first question that you get when opposition arises, is there a chance that this is authentic? Even if it stings, is it something that might be the Lord's got a word? Is there iron sharpening iron here? But that's not what Nehemiah was experiencing. No, this is pretty clear, and we're going to see how it was clear that it wasn't constructive criticism, it was outright opposition to God's call.
Watch how it unfolds, starting at verse 1.
Now, when Sombalat heard that we were building the wall, he was angry and greatly enraged, and he jeered at the Jews. Sambalat is probably from an area called Beth-Horon. And so Sambalat is from the northern region. I don't know if you can see this or not, but Judah is where Jerusalem is in the southern area. And Samaria is the area that is in the north.
And Sambala was from Samaria. And a lot of people think that probably he, being governor of the Sumerian people, also wanted to govern Judah. And what happens is that you get mentioned here three different enemies, and it's almost like it's a picture of being surrounded from the area of the Ammonites, who's represented by Tobiah, and the Arabian areas represented by Geshom. And so he's going to face these enemies that are, for whatever reasons, are insecure, fearful. Judgmental and don't want to see the work go forward.
And so the Samaritans were at enmity with the Jews.
So Sambalot was probably. from a people that were part Jewish but all intermixed. And when the people that were opposed learned that Nehemiah's rebuilding had escalated and was really getting underway, they mocked him. It started actually as soon as they learned about it, which, if we flip back to Nehemiah 2.19, you'll see it started as soon as these characters are introduced. When Sambalat the Horonite, Tobiah the Ammonite servant, and Geshem the Arab heard of it, they jeered at us and despised us and said, What's this thing you're doing?
Are you rebelling against the king?
So this is the way the devil's voice sounds. Are you Are you really thinking that you're able to do this? Or you're actually just rebelling. You're not even in God's will, you see. And in chapter 4, the work is now really taking shape, and so they're.
Their hostility has increased. The words the ESV uses are angry and greatly enraged. In Hebrew, it sounds like this, chara and kaas. It means burning with anger and feeling highly provoked to anger, and so they jeered. They mocked.
They belittled.
So, what manifests in Sambalat was anger, but what was really in his heart was fear, fear of loss. All it takes to arouse persecution from another is for them to feel like you're being more blessed than they. Johnny got a bigger piece of cake than I did. Yeah. Why did Susie get the promotion and I didn't get it?
All it takes is for another two feel that they weren't blessed like you. and it triggers something in the flesh. and it promotes belittling. Only people that feel small belittle. And so the belittling starts because this fear button has been pushed, and the stirring of inward shame that cannot celebrate others.
This is the thing that finds itself originating in hell. And so we don't needlessly demonize people, and we mustn't be overly responsive to say that every critique is somehow spiritual opposition. But we mustn't be naive. Because You might think that if you're doing something God called you to do, And you're doing it for good. and you only have your heart in it for the good of others.
Surely nobody will oppose that. But they will. Jesus came. and only loved. and healed the sick.
and fed the poor. and came to lay his life down. And there were some people who hated him. We'll be no different. And so Nehemiah is experienced in this.
Horrible. Really anti-Semitism. And you wonder why this little nation has been the most persecuted in the history of the world. From a spiritual perspective, it's because the devil heard the prophecies too. that out of Judah would come the Saviour of the world.
And so, whether it be through Arousing the hatred in Moses that wanted to exterminate Hebrew boys. or Herod who wanted to exterminate Hebrew boys. Or whether it be through arousing the hatred that wanted to kill Joseph so there be death to the Hebrew family of Jacob. or whether it be some malat, who is wanting to stop. The work of Nehemiah.
Some of this is just a hatred of hell. against the Savior of God who would come from this very very region. Nehemiah 4:2, and he said in the presence of his brothers, this is what Samblat said. and of the army of Samaria. What are these feeble Jews doing?
Will they restore it for themselves? Will they sacrifice? Will they finish up in a day? Will they revive the stones out of the heaps of rubbish and burned ones at that? Tobiah the Ammonite was beside him, and he said, Yes, what they're building, if a fox goes up on it, he'll break down their stone wall.
jeering, belittling, mocking. It's what author and teacher Steve Brown says is the kind of language that comes from the pit of hell and it smells like smoke. I was like it when Steve said that, and it smells like smoke in his deep voice. Because that's a good way to describe spiritual discernment. It's like smell.
Your spirit can tell what smells like heaven and what smells like smoke. Yeah. Pastor Alan Wright and our good news message: Overcoming Spiritual Opposition from the series Nehemiah. Please stay with us. Pastor Alan is back here in just a moment, sharing his parting good news thought for the day.
Unlock the power of blessing your life. Discover God's grace-filled vision for your life by signing up for Alan Wright's free daily blessing. If you want to fill your heart with grace and encouragement, get Alan Wright's Daily Blessing. It's free and just a click away at pastorAllen.org. I don't want to pressure my kids and I sure don't want to shame them, but I do want them to try hard and be all they can be.
That's the desire of every well-meaning parent. For over a decade, Alan Wright has been teaching all over the nation about the toxic effects of shame and the amazing power of the gospel of grace to heal and set free.
Now, for the first time, Alan has been joined by his wife Ann to produce a video series about shame-free parenting. It's called Good News for Parents: Raising Grace-Filled Kids in a Pressure-Filled World. The eight DVD video sessions are chock full of humor, deep gospel insight, and loads of practical advice. Use them for personal growth or with your spouse. They're also perfect for use in your small group.
The DVD album comes with a detailed step-by-step study guide as well. When you make your gift this month, we'll send you the DVD album as our way of saying thanks for your partnership. Make your gift today and start raising kids by the power of the gospel. This broadcast is only possible because of listener financial support. When you give to day, we will send you to day's special offer.
We are happy to send this to you as our thanks from Allen Wright Ministries. Call us at eight seven seven five four four forty eight sixty. That's eight seven seven five four four forty eight sixty. or come to our website, pastorallen.org. Here now, sitting with Pastor Alan.
And as we place the bookmark here in this teaching, we've just started it: Overcoming Spiritual Opposition.
Now, to me, it seems very obvious that if you're going to go from asking big, you better watch out because there's this spiritual opposition is going to come. It's almost a guarantee. It really almost is. And we're in a fight daily. Yeah.
But in my experience, and I think most of the believers that are listening right now could identify with this, that.
So often when you begin to actually walk out a vision that God's given you and start Mm-hmm. living out a call that is going to Make a Difference for the expansion of the kingdom of God in whatever way it might be. That the limited resources of hell. And I say limited because The devil is not omnipotent or omniscient. And neither are demons themselves so they're limited resources and i don't know how it works but They're times of intensity of attack and times not.
So you can expect it. and Nehemiah certainly faced it. And what we get today And in coming days from this message is The anatomy of spiritual opposition. It's good to know what it looks like when you're being opposed in the spirit. and don't think that you're just fighting flesh and blood.
And noticing Uh how Nehemiah responds. Is something we can learn from. And I think that ultimately. This is one of the best pictures in all of the Bible. of how we live out this spiritual fight.
Incredible encouragement and wisdom here in overcoming spiritual opposition. Thanks for listening today. Visit us online at pastorallen.org or call 877-544-4860. That's 877-544-4860. If you only caught part of today's teaching, not only can you listen again online, but also get a daily email devotional that matches today's teaching delivered right to your email inbox free.
Find out more about these and other resources at pastorallen.org. That's pastoralan.org. Today's good news message is a listener-supported production of Alan Wright Ministries.
