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Advent Productions

Benjamin Ng

Who Are Your Friends?

Father in heaven, thank you so much for this time that we have again.

Thank you Lord for your grace and your mercy towards us.

Thank you Lord for your word that speaks so clearly.

And I pray that you'd please help us to understand this morning your word.

Help us to learn these important lessons, we pray in Jesus' name.

Well, the title of the sermon this morning is, Who is Your Friend?

And you know, we took a few weeks break of studying Nehemiah.

Last week Rain preached, the week before I preached a topic on worship in the time of this pandemic.

But now we're coming back to the book of Nehemiah.

And Nehemiah he's just dealt with the issue in the previous chapter from within where the Jews were putting their own brethren into bondage.

They were selling them into, not slavery, but you know, they had run out of things to sell, so they sold themselves to service.

And Nehemiah dealt with that, praise the Lord, but now a fresh issue arises.

Nehemiah chapter 6 and verse 1, the Bible says this, Now it came to pass when Sanballat and Tobiah and Geshem, the Arabian and the rest of our enemies, heard that I had built the wall and that there was no breach left therein, though at that time I had not set up the doors upon the gates.

Now the wall had been set up already, okay?

The hole had been patched up but Now a new issue arises.

Sanballat from outside with his friends, Tobiah and Geshem.

Verse 2, that Sanballat and Geshem sent unto me saying, come, let us meet together in some 1 of the villages in the plain of Ono, but they thought to do me mischief." Sanballat and his friend Geshem was wanting to meet up with Nehemiah, and for what?

Definitely not a friendly meeting to eat or share a meal together.

Their purpose was to attack Nehemiah, and whether that was to kill him, to harm him, or to put him in prison we don't know but nonetheless it was a wicked intention.

Verse 3, And I sent messengers unto them saying I am doing a great work so that I cannot come down Why should the work cease whilst I leave it and I come down to you?

You see friends Nehemiah had penetrated their designs and their desires and he knew their intentions.

God had given him wisdom and foresight to know what their plans would be.

Why should I leave this great work and come to you it would cease it would stop Nehemiah saw the work of God of greater importance than having to meet up with Sanballat and his friends and truly it was there was nothing to be gained with friendship with them.

There was nothing to be gained with trying to explain his situation to them and why he was building the wall and how he had gotten permission from the king.

Nothing to be gained with meeting up with them who were clearly his enemies.

Their intentions had not changed over the few weeks that Nehemiah had been there.

And there's nothing today friends that we can gain by friendship with the world.

You know we are to understand the great work that we are to focus on and not forget that God calls us to be witnesses to the world and not mingle with them at the expense of the work of God suffering.

You know friends, there are many distractions and allurements along the way but let us not forget that we have a great work to do for our great God for He's coming soon.

Nehemiah 6 and verse 4 yet they sent unto me 4 times after this sort and I answered them after the same manner.

He sends his invitation 4 times and 4 times Nehemiah rejects it.

You know friends, we got to be persistent to reject evil.

Sometimes we feel that it keeps, when it keeps coming back to us, that we start thinking maybe this is God's will for us and maybe he wants us to really go ahead and do this and we give in and we relent.

But friends I don't want you to think about Sanballat as a person here.

He invites you and he's persistent in inviting you to come and meet up with him.

He comes time and again, but his desire is only to do you mischief, to do you harm.

He may appear friendly, but that's the deceptiveness of sin and the devil, you see, friends.

He comes with a guise of friendship like he cares to Eve.

He doesn't want you to have all the knowledge in the world.

He comes across as if he cares personally about you.

So in this first instance, Sanballat, he comes.

Nehemiah 6, verse 5, Then Sanballat sent his servant unto me in like manner the fifth time with an open letter in his hand.

Sanballat comes together again when he sends his messenger or his servant, but this time he has an open letter.

It's obvious that he wants everybody to read it.

Verse 6, wherein was written, it is reported among the heathen and Gashmu, saith it that thou and the Jews Think to rebel, for which cause thou buildest the wall, that thou mayest be their king according to these words.

Nehemiah, you're building this wall to set up Jerusalem again as a city and a kingdom because you want to be their king and you're gonna rebel and fight against the king, the King Artaxerxes, the very 1 that gave you permission to come and rebuild the walls and the temples and the city and the town.

Sanballat comes to Nehemiah looking like he has the good of the kingdom in mind.

Like he really cares for King Artaxerxes but it's a false accusation.

An open letter with the desire for everyone to read to make them scared.

And you know the fact that it was an open letter, it was clear that the people could read it rather than sending it straight to the king and notifying him of these intentions which of course were false.

And you know friends, the devil is like that as well.

We read in Revelation chapter 12 verses 9 and 10, the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent called the devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world.

He was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.

And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ.

And look at how it describes Satan, for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.

Friends, Satan is described as the accuser of the brethren.

He is the 1 that comes with false accusations, false claims, saying that God can never forgive your sins.

The things that you've done are too horrible.

God cannot forgive you or you're not worthy.

You can never be forgiven or it's hopeless.

He comes with all sorts of accusations and accuses us day and night.

He's persistent, just like Sanballat here in Nehemiah chapter 6.

And thou hast also appointed prophets to preach of thee at Jerusalem, saying, There is a king in Judah.

And now shall it be reported to the king, according to these words, come now therefore, let us take counsel together.

You see, he continues, you've appointed people to preach as prophets and to say things about you that you are king.

He's threatening that this would be brought to King Artaxerxes.

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Who Are Your Friends?

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