Success in life requires a growth mindset. It demands approaching resistance as an opportunity rather than an obstacle. And it’s only when you stretch beyond what you thought was possible that you discover strength you never knew. Today, I want to talk about resistance as an opportunity in our lives. In economics, this is called opportunity to cost. When we are faced with resistance, there is a cost associated with us taking the opportunity or not taking the opportunity to meet that resistance head on and doing something about it.
Sometimes we shrink in the face of resistance and in doing so we lose opportunity to do something great with ourselves. Other times we may face that resistance in our lives and it may blow up in our faces. In the few times we do something about the resistance against us, it seems like the struggle we endured to get through the resistance stretched us a little further for the next resistance in our lives.
If you’ve stared in the face of resistance and did nothing, you’re not alone. You join me, along with countless other people who have chosen at one point or another to do the same thing. In fact, one of the most baffling problems people face in their lives is resistance against their hopes and dreams. Such resistance may take a number of forms—persistent naysaying, increase in the loss of relationships, chronic quarrels with people around you, sullen hostility in the circumstances you’re in, and of course, the expression of a lot of pseudo-logical reasons why things must stay away from that resistance and how if we keep things the same and don’t change anything, we’ll be happier off.
But have you noticed that resistance in our lives only comes around when we’re trying to change the status quo? Like there is never any resistance to fail or to watch TV or to spend money or to diet. But when we try our TV, study, spending, eating habits, everything seems to be against us. Be honest with me, you have often tried explaining away why you don’t face that resistance head on and conquer it by quoting the cliché “nothing changes, so why bother” and we don’t look further to do anything about it because it seems so futile. Yet resistance will continually rock our lives and shape our lives if we do nothing about it and it will take us places we didn’t want to go. This applies with particular force to the all-important “little” things in life that constantly take place—changes in routine, diet, jobs, technology, TV shows, etc. But moreover, it happens when we’re faced with great philosophic questions of morality and society. It happens everywhere and every time and time and time again, people decide not to take the opportunity that resistance presents them by allowing God to stretch them out when they face the resistance head on.
What I need you to know is that when we shrink back when facing resistance, we will undoubtedly miss out on our goals and the vision that God gave us. The title of today’s sermon is, “The Opportunity Within Resistance.” Before we get into the passage today I want to give you guys some context as to where we’re going to pick up the narrative in this story. Nehemiah was in leadership during an extraordinary time in Israel’s history. He faced opposition from all sides—both from his own people and from outside forces.
In 538 B.C. Cyrus sent some of the people back to rebuild the temple. Nehemiah’s return would be around 430 B.C. Zerubbabel, Ezra and Nehemiah are all wrapped up in this history. Zerubbabel built the temple, Ezra brought the Law back into Israel’s life and Nehemiah rebuilt the wall that made Jerusalem secure. While Zerubbabel and Ezra worked more in the religious realm, Nehemiah was really sent to Judah to be governor of the land, and that gave him more ability to make some real changes to the nation of Israel. The people needed Nehemiah’s strong leadership to handle the opposition to their work.
There were three primary opposers to Nehemiah’s work as governor: Sanballat, Geshem and Tobiah. Sanballat was probably governor of Samaria and was not interested in Judah’s becoming an independent nation again. Geshem is thought to have been a leader of a powerful block of Arab communities. Tobiah was probably governor of Ammon and a member of an influential Jewish family.
Nehemiah’s resolve and his willingness to meet resistance head-on enabled him to mold this people back into the “people of God” so they could obey God’s commands. This is where Nehemiah shines; this is where we need to shine. It was not enough to build just the wall—he had to build a people that would once again stand on their own as God led them. He had to encourage change in people who were resistant to it. This was the large part of what Nehemiah had to accomplish—even if it required him to be harsh with his people. God has called each of us to important tasks, both as leaders and as followers. We have to have the courage we need to follow through even in the face of resistance and persecution. This is our calling. Let’s go to Nehemiah 4.
10 In Judah it was said, “The strength of those who bear the burdens is failing. There is too much rubble. By ourselves we will not be able to rebuild the wall.” 11 And our enemies said, “They will not know or see till we come among them and kill them and stop the work.” 12 At that time the Jews who lived near them came from all directions and said to us ten times, “You must return to us.” 13 So in the lowest parts of the space behind the wall, in open places, I stationed the people by their clans, with their swords, their spears, and their bows. 14 And I looked and arose and said to the nobles and to the officials and to the rest of the people, “Do not be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your brothers, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your homes.” (Nehemiah 4:10-14)
So here’s what’s happening: Sanballat and Tobiah were plotting to run some intimidation/bullying against the people rebuilding the city’s walls. It was a political power move, but moreover, it was a jerk move considering these guys weren’t kings in their own right, they were essentially trying to attack another state in the empire they worked for because they all reported to the same guy Nehemiah reported to. Yeah. Have you ever had that in your life? Like you’re all supposed to be on the same team and one guy tries to derail you? Like literally throw you under the bus while you’re doing your best to hold the rest of the pieces up? Then you look like the fool? If it hasn’t happened, then that’s great, but be warned it will happen.
So because of these bullying tactics in addition to how slow everything was happening people became sad and a little depressed on the inside. People who were trying to institute change were being told to come back into the fold and stop changing. Look at verse 12. “people came from all directions and said to us, ‘you must return to us.’”
Nehemiah understood the true nature of the resistance and there is no reason any of us, ever, should back away from resistance. I’m not talking about walking away from a fight or swallowing our tempers, I’m talking about attempts to hinder our God given mission on earth. A lot of us shrink away and fall back in the face of opposition when it comes to God given vision because we don’t understand the true nature of it. Nehemiah understood the true nature of the resistance – it changed the status quo. God’s vision for us often is a calling to change the status quo around us.
The people in verse 12 that were coming and saying things were people who travelled in the same social circles as the people building the wall of their hometown – it was the nobles. The nobles living on the outside not helping didn’t want their relationship status change with the nobles who, when the wall was finished, would move to the inside of the walls. That would be the end of their BBQ nights in their side of the wall.
In order to overcome the resistance, we must understand the true nature of the resistance. The true nature of the resistance is always rooted in not know who God is. Because if we would remember who God is, whatever social change in human relationships and technology, it wouldn’t be resistance, it would be an opportunity that we need to leverage.
Nehemiah says in verse 14, “Do not be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your brothers, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your homes.” I want you to underline that in your Bibles and memorize it in your minds and save that in your hearts. Don’t be afraid of the resistance against you in your life. If you are afraid of the resistance in your life, then you need to “remember God, who is great and awesome.” Remember God because He put you on this planet for a purpose. He gave you brothers, sons, daughters, wives, husbands, homes, family, friends, not to spend time goofing off at the theatre with them or trading stories with them on Facebook or pictures on Instagram. Nope, God put you here with them so that you can remember who God is, and the awesome and great things he does in our lives so that you can fight for them because it’s not you against the world. The world is against you and everybody else around you. That’s just the truth. We all have somebody we’re responsible for. So I know you’re going to ask, how do I remember the Lord? Go to Colossians 3.
1If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. 3 For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. (Colossians 3:1-4)
You seek where Christ is. You set your minds on the things of Heaven. That is to say, you tell yourself that everything you do and say, you’re doing it for the glory of God. That’s what it means to appear with him in glory. You live your life, not for your own goals, but because God gave you a vision for your life, and to get to that vision for your life, you’re going to be faced with plenty of opposition. That opposition and resistance in your life, which may sometimes be you or the people closest to you, you speak and do things in the name of Jesus for God and His glory. This serves as a reminder of who God is and how awesome He is in life.
Colossians 3:17 says, “And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” Give thanks to God. You know one of the best ways to overcome resistance in your life is to rally your resistance into participating with you in your life. Common sense says that people treat other people how they are treated, but here’s the reality of it—they won’t treat you as well as you treat them. You know this to be true because you don’t treat people half as good as they treat you. It’s why God treats us so well, he’s the great parent and he loves us so much that he would send his one and only son to die for us, so that we could be with our God.
God is telling us to participate in the vision he has for us and he gives us the choice to opt in as followers of Jesus Christ. This is what it means to be saved. Yes, but now people who are opposed to your vision in life, well, you need to help them see why they are being blind to what’s going on in your life. The best way to do that is to give thanks to God for them and in the name of Jesus, live your life despite the resistance. I want you to see how this story in Nehemiah ends. Go to chapter 6.
15 So the wall was finished on the twenty-fifth day of the month Elul, in fifty-two days. 16 And when all our enemies heard of it, all the nations around us were afraid and fell greatly in their own esteem, for they perceived that this work had been accomplished with the help of our God. (Nehemiah 6:15-16)
Resistance is an opportunity to buckle in and lean hard into God’s provision for your life. We lean everywhere but in God’s provision. I know this as a fact. So few of us, despite confessing Christ as our savior rely on Christ as our savior for anything. Very few facets of our lives represent our lives appearing with glory in Jesus. You just need to look a few hours after service ends and you go hit the road to go home. The thoughts you get on the highway driving next to the heathens that didn’t join you on the pews or the thought of those who did sit next to you. Then it’s the people that will force you to work tomorrow. Then how you treat people—can you tell me that you’re relying on God? Of course not. I can’t, and I’m the pastor.
Nehemiah finished the wall because he worked and lived for the glory of God. He knew that the resistance in his life didn’t matter. His opponents meant nothing because he was working toward God’s vision for his life. The testament of his leaning in God is simple: the work had been accomplished with the help of our God. Our God raises people from the dead. Our God feeds the hungry, shelters the homeless, topples nations, and anoints kings. If we want to reach our goal, we’re going to be stretched by the resistance in our lives and when we are stretched, we need to lean hard on God because when we are raised up with Christ in our salvation, we will appear with him in his glory. But we need to set our minds on God. We need to remember Him.
I love our time of prayer at the end of service these last few weeks. Some of us are facing some real resistance in our lives. It may be discrimination. It may be changes to relationships. It may be financial or educational. It may even be some lack of technical skill or blind spot we’re harboring. I can’t tell you what it is or why it is. But some of us have it. Whether it’s the glass ceiling or just getting our foot through the door. Or if it’s the burden of the people around us, there is tremendous resistance. The resistance we see is our opportunity to allow God to stretch our memories of Him more frequently, more seriously. We need to seek God in all that we do and say. We need to seek the things that are above, and not the resistance that meets us here. We need to persevere and reach the goal and vision God gave to us. Let’s pray.
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