Prepare for Opposition

12 May 2024 PM – Ezra 4:1-24 – Opposition
Introduction: The temple building began in 535 BC during the reign of Cyrus. The people allowed opposition to stop the rebuilding until the 2nd year of Darius, 520 BC. To emphasise the problem of opposition, Ezra included a record of letters (v.6-23) that were sent to Persia years later to stop the building of the city during the reign of Artaxerxes, 466-424 BC. Through the preaching of Haggai and Zechariah, the temple was completed in 515 BC.
In 2 Corinthians 11:14, the apostle Paul said that the devil has the ability to transform himself into an angel of light. He poses as something good when he is extremely evil. He is the accuser of the brethren (Re 12:10), the deceiver (Re 12:9), the father of lies (Jn 8:44), and a roaring lion (1Pe 5:8). He has scores of evil tricks to use against God’s people.
Transition: This evening, I want us to note three methods used by the adversaries to oppose God’s people as they rebuilt the temple. The devil will use the same methods against you and me.
The 1st method used by the adversaries was …
1.        Infiltration (v.1-3)
The job of a secret agent or spy is to infiltrate. He must act like a friend to get inside information without getting caught.
a.         The enemy attacked the builders by infiltration.
1)         They pose as friends, yet God called them “adversaries” (v.1).
2)         They offered to help, which may have seemed harmless.
a)         These “harmless” neighbours were really Samaritans – a mixed-race of Jews and heathens.
b)         They worshipped both Jehovah and idols. This made them very dangerous to God’s people.
b.         Preventing infiltration took wisdom and boldness.
1)         The leaders wisely saw through the subtlety (v.3).
2)         They boldly separated from these deceitful unbelievers.
a)         Separation is never easy, especially when others appear to be rather harmless.
b)         Separation is God’s way of protecting His people from the evil influences of unbelievers (e.g., when conquering the land, God warned, “Make no league with them”, Judg 2:2).
c.          We too must beware of infiltration.
1)         Unbelieving relatives or colleagues may try to get us to do things we should not do. Their worldly attitudes, dress, and vocabulary will tend to rub off on us like a bad apple in a basket of good apples. (Prov 14:7) “Go from the presence of a foolish man, when thou perceivest not in him the lips of knowledge.”
2)         Foolish friends will corrupt us. (1Cor 15:33) “Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners.”
3)         Worldly friends will pull us down. (Prov 13:20) “He that walketh with wise men shall be wise: but a companion of fools shall be destroyed.“
4)         Spiritually weak friends will pressure us to compromise. A friend that does not sharpen you is dulling you. (Proverbs 27:17) “Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend.“
5)         Doctrinally erring friends will try to get us to doubt what we believe. (Rom 16:17) “Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them.”
  • “The Christian is not to be discourteous, or detached from unbelievers; rather he is to befriend them to gain an opening to present the gospel, but he ought never to keep their friendship by compromising his convictions.” — Stan K. Evers, Doing A Great Work, p. 43
6)         Be wise, don’t compromise! Beware of infiltration.
The 2nd method used by the adversaries was …
2.        Pessimism (v.4)
Pessimism is the feeling that things will turn out badly.
a.         The Samaritans weakened the hands of the people.
1)         The idea of the word weakened is to dishearten, to relax, to make weak, or to discourage.
2)         They knew if they could discourage the people that they would give up the hard work.
b.         The Samaritans weakened the hands of the people.
1)         They may have said things like, “It won’t work, you’re not able, it’s too hard, you’re too few.”
2)         They may have weakened the people by constant interruptions to stall the work.
3)         They may have laughed at them, mocked them, or called them names.
c.          The devil loves to discourage you and me as well.
1)         Even when it seems that the weeds of troubles are growing faster than the flowers of blessings, God is still on the throne.
2)         We must not let the devil’s pessimism get us down. (Isaiah 26:3) “Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.” We must keep our eyes on the Lord.
The 3rd method used by the adversaries was …
3.        Terrorism (v.4)
a.         The adversaries troubled the people.
1)         The word “troubled” simply means to terrify.
2)         They did things that cause the people to fear.
3)         They troubled them in building. They may have threatened to stir up the Persians against them.
4)         They may have threatened to harm them. They may have frightened their families, who were home on the farms.
b.         The devil seeks to trouble you and me as well.
1)         Fear can paralyse us and keep us from serving God.
2)         One of our strongest defences against fear is a flourishing relationship with God. We often underestimate the Person and power of our God. Paul wrote, (Romans 8:31) “What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?“
3)         Believing this, the Psalmist said, (Psalms 56:3) “What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee.” That needs to be our motto.
The 4th method used by the adversaries was …
4.        Division (v.5, 24)
a.         The Samaritans hired counsellors against the people.
1)         The counsellors were advisors.
2)         They may have been men who claimed to know how to do the job better, but who were actually trying to hinder.
b.         Their goal was to frustrate their purpose.
1)         The word frustrate means to divide, to break, to split.
2)         They sought to frustrate the purpose or plan of rebuilding the temple.
a)         They may have offered bad advice.
b)         They may have encouraged rebellion and discord against the leadership. Stirred up arguments.
c.          The devil seeks to frustrate you and me as well.
1)         He does not want us to live for the Lord and to serve Him. There is an old saying that is so true, “United we stand; divided we fall.”
2)         This is true in our relationships with God, in our homes, and in our church. Philippians 2:3 will keep us on track. “Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves.“
3)         The last verse of the chapter (Ezr 4:24) tells us that the adversaries accomplished their task. They caused the work to cease. This need not be true in my life or yours. As one old preacher used to thunder, we must, Do right till the stars fall!
Conclusion: “Faith that can’t be tested can’t be trusted.” Warren Wiersbe quoted by Evers in “Doing a great work”. We must prepare for opposition and keep our faith in God strong. When the Devil opposes your walk with God through infiltration, pessimism, terrorism, and division, how will you respond? Will you cave in and quit like the temple builders, or will you be steadfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord? The thing that will influence your choice is the GREATNESS of your God.
Song: Great is Thy Faithfulness 40 #2