Keep your eyes on the work

don’t allow anything to distract you and cause you to cease from the work

A Mind to Work (Nehemiah 4:1–6)

God’s people always have enemies.

 In this case, they were

•     Sanballat, a government official in Samaria;

•     Tobiah, the Ammonite;

•     and Geshem, an Arabian, who is also called Gashmu (6:1, 6).

Their weapon was ridicule;

they mocked the “feeble Jews” openly before the leaders of Samaria.

Satan is a mocker (Luke 22:63; 23:35–37).

Ridicule is a device used by ignorant people who are filled with jealousy.

1.   They mocked the people (“feeble Jews”),

•   Oh, you are just a little church
•   you believe the King James Bible is the word of God

2.   They mocked the plan (“will they finish in a day?”),

All roads lead to Heaven, don’t they?

John 14:6 (KJV)
Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

•   I have done more good than bad
•     I don’t think God would send “me” to Hell

3.  They mocked the materials (“stones and rubbish”).

• a.  small building
• b.  nothing fancy
• c.   Bible Believers above all else

What weapon is Satan using in your life today?

•     The disciples took their eyes off of the work.

John 4:8 KJV

⁸ (For his disciples were gone away unto the city to buy meat.)

•     They were distracted by the affairs of this life:

John 4:31–38 KJV

³¹ In the mean while his disciples prayed him, saying, Master, eat.

³² But he said unto them, I have meat to eat that ye know not of.

³³ Therefore said the disciples one to another, Hath any man brought him ought to eat?

³⁴ Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work.

³⁵ Say not ye, There are yet four months, and then cometh harvest? behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest.

³⁶ And he that reapeth receiveth wages, and gathereth fruit unto life eternal: that both he that soweth and he that reapeth may rejoice together.

³⁷ And herein is that saying true, One soweth, and another reapeth.

³⁸ I sent you to reap that whereon ye bestowed no labour: other men laboured, and ye are entered into their labours.

The disciples had just returned from the city with no converts

The Samaritan woman brought people to the Lord

John 4:28–30 KJV

²⁸ The woman then left her waterpot, and went her way into the city, and saith to the men,

²⁹ Come, see a man, which told me all things that ever I did: is not this the Christ?

³⁰ Then they went out of the city, and came unto him.

Many of them believed on him

John 4:39–42 KJV

³⁹ And many of the Samaritans of that city believed on him for the saying of the woman, which testified, He told me all that ever I did.

⁴⁰ So when the Samaritans were come unto him, they besought him that he would tarry with them: and he abode there two days.

⁴¹ And many more believed because of his own word;

⁴² And said unto the woman, Now we believe, not because of thy saying: for we have heard him ourselves, and know that this is indeed the Christ, the Saviour of the world.

What was the difference?

between the Disciples the woman and Nehemiah?

•     Nehemiah and the woman had a mind to work

•     the disciples took their eyes off of the work.

How should we answer our distractions?

 Never allow ridicule or distractions to stop your ministry;

•     “take it to the Lord in prayer”

Nehemiah 4:4–5 KJV

⁴ Hear, O our God; for we are despised: and turn their reproach upon their own head, and give them for a prey in the land of captivity:

⁵ And cover not their iniquity, and let not their sin be blotted out from before thee: for they have provoked thee to anger before the builders.

•     and keep on working.

Nehemiah 4:6 KJV

⁶ So built we the wall; and all the wall was joined together unto the half thereof: for the people had a mind to work.

Luke 10:1–2 KJV

¹ After these things the Lord appointed other seventy also, and sent them two and two before his face into every city and place, whither he himself would come.

² Therefore said he unto them, The harvest truly is great, but the labourers are few: pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he would send forth labourers into his harvest.

•    

If you are passionate about the work

If you believe in the cause

You will persevere through the distractions

You will keep your eyes on the work.

Nehemiah 6:1–3 KJV

¹ Now it came to pass, when Sanballat, and Tobiah, and Geshem the Arabian, and the rest of our enemies, heard that I had builded the wall, and that there was no breach left therein; (though at that time I had not set up the doors upon the gates;)

² That Sanballat and Geshem sent unto me, saying, Come, let us meet together in some one of the villages in the plain of Ono. But they thought to do me mischief.

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 come down to you?

•     Don’t allow anything to distract you and to cause you to cease from the work!

Our hope at Irvington Bible Baptist Church is that this podcast provided some encouragement and has helped you to develop a closer relationship with the LORD Jesus Christ.