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Words can be powerful, lies can be deadly. Join me, Pastor Richard, as we look at the lies that Nehemiah faced and how he escaped them. For those of you facing lies and slander, today may you find freedom and escape in the Lord. In today's passage, we see that the enemies of the Jews, they were becoming desperate. And they'd received reports that the rebuilding project has been progressing very quickly and is now almost finished. All that was left was in the gateways to put in the actual gates or the doors. And so this morning we're going to look at three lies that Sunbalat, Tobayah, and Gashem used in an attempt to stop that rebuilding from reaching its full completion. And then after that, there are three lies that we face today that we will see as well and to see together. How do we face these lies? Church, shall we pray? Praise you, Jesus. Precious Lord. We read and know that indeed it is good to come together in the house of the Lord, your house, O Lord. Thank you that you are here with your presence, that you are the great creator, God, the God who is able to exercise power over both the physical and the spiritual. There is no match to you, O God. So today, Lord, we pray, would you breathe life into your word, that it will be life to us, refreshing to us, Lord, that we will go out today later renewed and strengthened in our faith. Pray and ask this in the precious name of Jesus. Amen. Amen. So as this rebuilding project was nearing its end, uh there were three very insidious lies that Nehemiah faced. And these lies were designed to thwart the plans and purposes of God. And the first lie is there was this invitation to a summit conference. And we read in verses 1 to 4 that Sunbalat and Gashem, they'd cooked up this scheme to lure Nehemiah out of the safety of Jerusalem. And on the surface, if we put ourselves in their shoes, it would have seemed as if Nehemiah's opponents, they had recognized, in a sense, they had lost, and now they are just trying to maybe see: are there some concessions that we can receive as we accept that this rebuilding effort and everything is just going to be finished? It would have looked like they were arranging a peace summit. But they weren't really interested in giving up this conflict that they had. And so this summit conference, it would have had a few potential benefits for Sinbalat and Geshem. First, it would have been a delaying tactic. It would have been a delaying tactic. It would have taken a minimum of three days for this summit conference to happen. Day one, Nehemiah would have to travel out. Day two, at least there's one day spent for the summit. Day three to go back, they would have bought themselves at minimum three days of time delaying him. And perhaps they would have found ways to delay things even further, while at the same time arranging for trouble back in Jerusalem while Nehemiah would have been out. The second, it would have tarnished Nehemiah's reputation. Fraternizing with Simbalat and Gashem, it would have looked like potentially political corruption. Oh, Nehemiah, he's been with us, he's been leading the way. But now look, he's going to meet with them. Maybe he's going to agree to a delay in the rebuilding in return for some financial gain or other considerations. So it could have actually hurt his reputation if he had gone for this. And third, who knows? It could have even been set up as an assassination opportunity because we know they were really very strongly against Nehemiah. But this first lie, it failed to deceive Nehemiah. And we see in Scripture, this invitation, it came four times, but each time Nehemiah just sent back the same response that he wasn't going to be able to do that. He was involved in a great work. He had discerned, God had given him discernment that they intended him evil, that they didn't want to have a real summit together. They are just trying to thwart the plans of God. The second lie that Nehemiah faced was this public letter of intimidation. Because when that first lie failed, Sambala, he just went to the next scheme where sudterfuge had failed, now is going to be intimidation. And so we sent this open letter. It wasn't a sealed one, but it was an open letter. And it was meant to be that way so that as many people as possible would be able to find out the contents of this letter and so that news of it would spread. And according to the letter, people were talking. And what they were saying, it was not good. The letter was insinuating that rumors were floating all over. Everyone was talking about it, that this rebuilding project was actually part of a plot to rebel against the king of Persia. And that Nehemiah was, he came in appearing humble, but actually he wanted to crown himself king. This was the lie that was coming in this letter. And I can tell you from personal experience, from living some years in a Tibetan area. And this Tibetan area is not in Nepal. It was not in its own nation. This Tibetan area was watched very closely by the government and is today as well. And the number one thing you cannot do was to have any sort of thing that would express looking to rebel, looking to gain independence. This was the number one thing that the government was on the lookout for. It was very sensitive in that sense. And so I can easily understand that these rumors had the potential to be very dangerous. And so the enemy, they employed these lies as a way to intimidate Nehemiah into coming to meet together with them. And once again, this would have potentially derailed the rebuilding project right at the critical time. They're almost there. They're just down to the last little bit. And so, like the first lie, this lie also failed to ensnare Nehemiah. He just answered matter-of-factly, you're making it up. There's no such thing taking place. This is completely a fabrication. He didn't entertain this lie, he didn't engage with it, he just said, This is nonsense. I'm not having it. They wanted to intimidate Nehemiah, but Nehemiah, he turned to God and he said, But now, O God, strengthen my hands. This was part of God's plans and purposes, and Nehemiah, he knew it. And so time has run out, and they come to this third lie which employed fear tactics. They weren't able to deceive him with a peace summit. This open letter with rumors had been shot down very quickly. Now there's going to be fear tactics. Tobiah and Sambala, they are desperate, and they make one final bid to derail it all. And so, through the form of a bribe, Tobiah engaged Shemiah, who was likely one of the priests at the time, to lie to Nehemiah in the form of a false prophecy. Telling him that assassins, they're already on the way. Nehemiah, quick, run to the temple. Hide in there where they cannot shed blood, where they cannot find you. Hide in there and close the gates. Now, what would you do? How would you respond? Although this lie pretended to be a prophecy, Nehemiah saw through it. Hiding in the temple, it would have shown Symbalat and Tobiah in the eyes of the people as stronger than Nehemiah in terms of their influence and power. Nehemiah, he would have lost his moral and spiritual high ground since only the priests were supposed to be entering that inner area of the temple. It was not a place for him. It was not a place for him. Nehemiah, he would have lost the trust and the respect of the people. Each of these lies, it had some teeth behind it. These were dangerous lies if he had given into it. But this third lie, employing the fear tactics, failed because Nehemiah, you hear this common theme? Nehemiah knew the plans and purpose of God. He knew. He had spent time in prayer before he had even returned to Jerusalem. He knew God's plans and purposes. He was able to discern that this prophecy that they were trying to bring was a false one, that it embodied a lie. Words can be powerful. Lies can be deadly. Church, would you repeat that with me? Words can be powerful. Lies can be deadly. Long ago, uh, when I was with Youth with a Mission, and I had just finished uh my DTS, my discipleship training school. And we'd just come back from a couple months in Mongolia in the winter, where it was negative 35 every day. The roads were covered in ice. It was uh anyway, we had come back and we were having our debrief time, all of us students, and our our leader. And so one by one, we are supposed to share about our experience and what we felt the Lord was leading us to next. And so for me, when it came to my turn, I I I said, I feel the Lord has told me two things. And the first one is leadership. And you know, my team leader, she looked at me and she laughed out loud in front of all of us. She laughed when I said that. She said, Richard, I haven't seen you show the smallest bit of leadership this entire time. We've been together for six months. You know, these words came, and if I had accepted them, I would be a very different person today. I don't know what my life would be like, but it wouldn't be this. Words can be very powerful, and lies can be deadly. We must be careful. We must not allow lies to get into us because when they get into us, they start to poison things. We all encounter lies, and in fact, the Bible describes the devil, our spiritual adversary, as the greatest source of lies. And so I just read for you from John chapter 8. And it says, speaking of the devil, he was a murderer from the beginning and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies. We all encounter lies, and the devil lies so much that he's given the title the father of lies. We must remind ourselves we're only seeing the physical realm, but there is a spiritual realm as well. Even in this area, even in Ishun, even in this neighborhood, although we cannot see them with our eyes, there is spiritual battle going on. There is a spiritual enemy, and this enemy wants to sow lies into us that we will not embrace the truth. First Peter describes the devil as a roaring lion seeking someone to devour. In Ephesians chapter 6. Ephesians chapter 6, it describes his attacks as flaming darts, literally flaming arrows. All right, we've got the right color. Never mind, it doesn't look very dangerous here. Literally flaming arrows. That's the way his attacks are described. And so this morning, I want to identify three of the common lies, these common flaming darts, these arrows that the enemy tries to use against us. The first lie that many of us here have heard is you haven't changed at all. You're just as sinful as before. You don't love God, you don't love your neighbor, you're not really a Christian, and you know what? You'll never change. You should just give up. This is the lie that's most common, especially for new believers. Now, I I do have to just a little side note is that in the book of James, it does make it clear that faith without works is dead. Uh, we may not see immediate, dramatic change, but if we are truly a believer, we will see change. That is the mark of being a believer. All right. Okay, so let's we we we move on. So why is this lie so effective that you you know what you you haven't changed at all? And maybe we can have the next slide up, please. It's because there is a seed of truth. Each of these lies has a little seed of truth in it. The seed of truth here is that when we first turn to Christ, physically, we all still look the same. Physically, nothing has changed. If we just look with our eyes on the outside, there has been no change. We're still sinning, we're still missing God's standard, missing the mark. We still stumble or fall spiritually from time to time. Parts of your life may not have changed yet. That's the seed of truth. But we need to know the full truth. And the full truth is that, like using yeast when you bake bread, I don't know. During the COVID time, like many others, I began to learn how to bake my own bread at home. Like yeast, when you put it in, there's not an immediate thing that you can look and see anything has changed. It takes time for this yeast to do its work on the inside, and eventually it becomes very obvious and apparent. And that's how it is. The full truth is that the change begins on the inside and it works its way through our whole being, including our actions. Change is inevitable if we are in Christ, but it does take time. And so while we can perhaps more easily see evidence of the work of Christ in the lives of others sitting around us, we can see the godly fruit that they're producing. Often we are, so to speak, long-sighted when it comes to ourselves. We cannot see clearly when it comes to ourselves. We cannot see our own fruit. But what is changed is our identity. As a believer, you are forgiven. As a believer, you are forgiven. And you're being transformed and discipled through the power of the Holy Spirit. That is the truth. In Christ we have joy. In Christ, we have peace. In Christ, we have a power available to us through prayer. Philippians chapter 1, verse 6, it says, and I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. You are changed and you are being changed from the inside out. And church, would you repeat this after me? I am changed and I am being changed. Amen. That is the full truth. The second lie that the enemy tries to bring to us again and again and again is the lie that you are unworthy. You are unworthy. You're not perfect, you make mistakes. Who are you to think you can do something that would please God to do something good? You are unworthy. Your grades aren't that good. Who do you think you are? You lost your cool with your colleagues at work. How can you walk with your head held high? You've been grumbling all day since your morning coffee. Who are you to pray for anything? These are the lies that come to us that you are unworthy. Church, this is a lie. The seed of truth is this. In ourselves, we are completely unworthy and incapable of pleasing God. That's true. But the full truth is that Christ has been made our righteousness. The full truth is we've been adopted not as slaves, but as sons and daughters. God welcomes us. In Christ, we are worthy. Because of Christ we are worthy. Romans 3, 23 and 24, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. Yes, we all fall short of God's glory in and of ourselves, but in Christ we have been justified. In Christ we have been made worthy to come before God. In Christ we have found our redemption. And Galatians chapter 4, verse 7, so you are no longer a slave, but a son. And if a son, then an heir through God. To continue to say that we are unworthy is to deny the work of Christ. We cannot accept this lie, church. And so would you repeat after me, in Christ I am worthy. Amen. The third lie that we hear so often from the enemy is this your identity in Christ is for the future, not for the here and now. This lie tells us that being a Christian is only about deciding where we will go when we die. This lie is just telling us that beyond that, uh attend church, maybe pay your tithe, and that's it. No more, nothing more is expected of us. The seed of truth is that the Christian faith, it does begin with a promise of salvation. Amen. But the full truth is that our identity and purpose, they begin now, and they are only fully fulfilled in the future, but it begins now. In James chapter 2, we're told that faith without works is dead. And in Ephesians 2 10, we're told that we are his workmanship created in Christ Jesus. Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. Romans 12, 2, it tells us to be transformed by the renewing of our mind. Salvation is the beginning and the promise of God's work in our life when we turn to Christ. It is not the end. We can expect God's goodness in this life. This is part of turning to Christ. We can expect Him to care for us and to provide for us, to comfort us, to work a sense of joy and wonder in our lives now. We're not waiting for everything in some future day. It is for now. Our identity in Christ is not just for the future, it is for the here and now. And so, church, would you repeat after me, my faith is both for today and for tomorrow. Amen. So we come to the truth. When we're facing one or more of these lies this morning, there's three reminders, three tools that I believe are going to help us in defeating these lies of the enemy when they come to us. The first is that God is for us, not against us. God is for you, he is not against you. Romans 8.28, it says, For those who love God, all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. And a few verses later it continues, What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own son, but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? God is for us, not against us. When the enemy tries to tear you down, remember these verses. Read them out loud. If you're in Christ, God loves you. He is for you and not against you. There's no reason to doubt God's love. If he went all to the extent of giving his own son to die on our behalf, do you think he's going to suddenly turn away from us? No. He's very committed. He isn't working against you, he doesn't hate you, he is for you and not against you. The second reminder or truth for us to hold on to is this. He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. Again, Philippians 1 6, and I am sure of this that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Christ. That's the verse. When the enemy he speaks the lie to you, that you're hopeless, that you'll never change, that you're not worthy, that you'll never lead a godly life. Don't accept the lie. Because God's truth is that he has already begun a good work in you. Already. It's in process and it will reach its full completion. That's his promise for us. The third and final truth that I want to make sure we have this morning is that Christ has already won the victory. Christ has already won the victory. And I want to thank uh Sarah Lee for leading us in worship today. And we sung that song, Living Hope. Christ is our living hope. It fits so well together. And this was chosen before we knew what was uh going on as well. Christ has already won the victory. John chapter 16, verse 33. It does say, In this world you will have tribulation, but take heart. I have overcome the world. And the book of Revelation, if you read through the book of Revelation, it tells of the events and the end times, and it makes clear that the victory over Satan is already certain. And the day will come when the devil and all his demons will be thrown into the lake of fire, and that will be their final destination for the rest of eternity. So when the devil lies to you, bringing up your past, trying to get you to doubt your future, remind yourself of his future. The liar is not going to have a good future. It is only for a time. Christ has won the victory over him, and it's only for us to walk it out. Nehemiah, he wasn't misled by the lies of his enemies because he knew God and he knew God's plans and purposes for him. And today's passage, it tells us the result. In only 52 days, the walls were rebuilt and the gates were put in place. 52 days less than two months. Four kilometers worth of walls. The walls were 10.6 meters high on average. They were 2.4 meters thick. This was a huge work, and it was accomplished in less than two months. If you regularly attend here and if you come through that back gate, how long did it take for our little path to be redone back there? It was almost a year, wasn't it? In 52 days, this huge thing was accomplished because God's hand was upon them, because they knew the plan and purpose of God. And Nehemiah stood on that, and he wasn't swayed by the lies, he didn't believe them because he knew his God and he knew God's plan. And so I just want to close with this final verse. John chapter 14, verse 6. Jesus said, I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. So don't be fooled by the seed of truth in the enemy's lies. Know the full truth. Know your Bible. Read it for yourself regularly. Know the full truth that God is for you, not against you. He who began a good work in you will complete it. Christ has already won the victory over death, sin, and the devil. Let's live out our week ahead with a reminder of our truth, of our identity in Christ. He is our truth. Amen. We pray that you've been ministered to by the Word of God today. If you'd like to know more about Ishan Christian Church, please visit our website at ycanglican.com. Have a blessed day.