1) The pastor summarizes the story of Nehemiah rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem while facing opposition from Sanballat. Sanballat mocks their efforts and questions if the Jews can accomplish the task. 2) The pastor emphasizes that Nehemiah does not engage with or retaliate against his opponents. Instead, Nehemiah prays to God and continues working. 3) The key point is that when facing attacks, "Champions don't fight back, we fight forward." Nehemiah progresses with the work God has called him to do rather than getting distracted by his enemies.

1. I’M JUST TOO BUSY
Pastor Ron Martin
SCREENS> Nehemiah 4:1-6 NASB
1 Now it came about that when Sanballat heard that we
were rebuilding the wall, he became furious and very angry
and mocked the Jews. 2 He spoke in the presence of his
brothers and the wealthy men of Samaria and said, “What
are these feeble Jews doing? Are they going to restore it for
themselves? Can they offer sacrifices? Can they finish in a
day? Can they revive the stones from the dusty rubble even
the burned ones?” 3 Now Tobiah the Ammonite was near
him and he said, “Even what they are building—if a fox
should jump on it, he would break their stone wall down!” 4
Hear, O our God, how we are despised! Return their
reproach on their own heads and give them up for plunder
in a land of captivity. 5 Do not forgive their iniquity and let
not their sin be blotted out before You, for they have
demoralized the builders. 6 So we built the wall and the
whole wall was joined together to half its height, for the
people had a mind to work.
After seeing what God began at the beginning of this year, I
look around today and I see a totally different church than
that which was here in 2013. Even as I speak now, I know
that I am looking into the eyes of a people who are hungry,
even desperate for change and to see God move in their
lives. As I look at you today, I see people who want nothing
to do with playing church, I see a people who are ready to
BE THE CHURCH! Something happened in Kingdom Central
on January 30th, 2011that has changed us!

2. In other words something happened in this place on that is
now pushing us to be better, to be stronger, to be wiser, to
be more loving, to be more blessed – WORK THIS! Now of
course, I can’t tell everyone’s testimony, I don’t know what
specifically happened for you, I don’t know what God
showed you, but I wish I had about five people in here this
morning who would bless God with me for whatever He’s
doing in YOU!
I don’t know what God showed you, I don’t know why
you’re praising the way you are! But I can sho’nuff tell you
why I’m praising Him! I’m praising Him because He showed
me that can’t nobody curse what God has blessed!!! So, no
matter who don’t like what we’re doing, no matter who
don’t agree with where we’re going, no matter who don’t
like our SWAG, WE’RE BLESSED REGARDLESS! And because
we’re blessed, we can’t be CURSED! In other words, no
matter how hard the enemy tries, he can’t BLOCK what
God is doing at Kingdom Central!
Let’s jump straight into the text this weekend.
SCREENS> Nehemiah 4:1 Now it came about that when
Sanballat heard that we were rebuilding the wall, he
became furious and very angry and mocked the Jews.
It’s always an amazing thing to me how a scripture can
mean different things to different people in different
seasons. I say that, because I’ve preached this particular
passage before but it now speaks to me differently. What
I’ve never noticed before is that Sanballat is not angry

3. because of what they are building in the text, he’s angry
because of what they are rebuilding!
Because what they are rebuilding is something that had
previously fallen apart. What they are rebuilding is
something that had previously been destroyed. What they
are rebuilding is something that others had given up hope
on. And so what they’re upset about is that you’re still trying
to make something work that we’ve already concluded is
not worth working on.
Ain’t it a trip how people will treat you differently just
because you won’t give up when they did? Isn’t it crazy
how people will leave when everything is falling apart and
then get mad because you had the audacity to pull it back
together! I’ve come to the conclusion, and the text backs
me up on this, that some people are only mad at you
because you kept going when they said you’d never make
it! Some people mad not just because you’re doing it
without them, but because you’re doing it in spite of them!!!
 You left me for dead!
 You took everything I had!
 You ran my name through the dirt!
 You said it would never work!
o But in spite of all that, I JUST KEEP MOVING!!!
Oh God, I feel like preaching! Why is it important to keep
moving? Because it’s hard to hit a moving target. People
keep throwing arrows at me but they can’t hit me! By the
time I find out what somebody has said about me, tried to
do against me, by the time I hear about a sly facebook
comment, I’ve already moved on! [WORK THIS]
 I’ve Already Moved On!!!!

4. o You should’ve tried to hit me when I wasn’t doing
nothing!
o You should’ve tried to hit me when I stopped
going to church!
o You should’ve tried to hit me when I wasn’t
surrounded by people praying for me!
o Because now I’m untouchable!!!
 I’ve Already Moved On!
And what’s crazy is, and I’m still in verse 1, is that Sanballat is
angry at Nehemiah but nowhere does the text suggest that
Nehemiah is angry with Sanballat. As a matter of fact
Nehemiah is not concerned with his haters, his concern is on
his assignment! I’m preaching! You don’t have to attend
every argument you’re invited to!
 While Sanballat is talking, Nehemiah is working!!!
Which means, and this hit me like a ton of bricks last night,
that Sanballat is talking at Nehemiah’s back! Nehemiah
does not give Sanballat the dignity of allowing him to say it
to his face, because if you’re saying it to my face that
means that I’m focusing on you instead of the work that
God has assigned me to!
 So you shouldn’t even be upset when people talk
about you behind your back, that just means that you
were too busy working for them to say it to your face!!!
o Let Them Talk!
o Let’s Give Them Something to Talk About!!!
Oh God, I’ve spent too much time in one verse, let’s move
on.

5. SCREENS> Nehemiah 4:2-3
2He spoke in the presence of his brothers and the wealthy
men of Samaria and said, “What are these feeble Jews
doing? Are they going to restore it for themselves? Can they
offer sacrifices? Can they finish in a day? Can they revive
the stones from the dusty rubble even the burned ones?” 3
Now Tobiah the Ammonite was near him and he said, “Even
what they are building—if a fox should jump on it, he would
break their stone wall down!”
SCREENS> The Devil Accuses and Attacks Working People
Please understand that the devil only picks on people that
are working on something! And he only uses people who do
nothing to aggravate the people who are doing something!
So why be frustrated over people who have nothing better
to do than to discuss you!
 Let them talk because everybody needs a job!
I gotta hurry up, let’s look at how the enemy attacks us
when we’re working on something.
SCREENS> Attacks my ability
 What are these feeble Jews doing?
SCREENS> Attacks my motives
 Are they going to restore it for themselves?
SCREENS> Attacks my affordability
 Can they offer sacrifices?
o They ain’t even given over there!

6. SCREENS> Attacks the timeline
 Can they finish in a day?
SCREENS> Attacks the vision
 Can they revive the stones from the dusty rubble even
the burned ones?
o Stresses the impossibility of the situation verses the
powerfulness of God
SCREENS> Attacks the stability of my future
 Even what they are building—if a fox should jump on it,
he would break their stone wall down!
Now I’ve spent all this time talking about what the enemy
does, but I didn’t come to preach about the enemy! I
came to preach to some Champions this morning! What
does Nehemiah do after all these attacks?
SCREESN> Nehemiah 4:4-5
4Hear, O our God, how we are despised! Return their
reproach on their own heads and give them up for plunder
in a land of captivity. 5Do not forgive their iniquity and let
not their sin be blotted out before You, for they have
demoralized the builders.
SCREENS> Champions Don’t Respond With Retaliation,
Champions Respond With Exaltation!
This is so cold because Nehemiah understood that the best
way for me to deal with my enemies is to talk to JESUS!
David said it like this,

7. SCREENS> Psalms 25:1-5
1Unto thee, O LORD, do I lift up my soul. 2O my God, I trust in
thee: let me not be ashamed, let not mine enemies triumph
over me. 3Yea, let none that wait on thee be ashamed: let
them be ashamed which transgress without cause. 4Shew
me thy ways, O LORD; teach me thy paths. 5Lead me in thy
truth, and teach me: for thou art the God of my salvation;
on thee do I wait all the day.
In other words, he says, God I’m too busy to address my
haters! I’m too busy trying to live right to get pulled back
into wrong! I’m too busy to snap, go off, and all that other
stuff. So he says,
SCREENS> GOD, YOU DEAL WITH IT!
I wish I had about ten folk in here, who refuse to interrupt
what God is doing in your life, some people who say I’m not
about to slow down to deal with mess…
 God, You Deal With It!!!! [WORK THIS]
o I don’t know what you’re going through but your
new prayer should be GOD, YOU DEAL WITH IT!
I’m through right here! After all of the attacks and after all of
the praying, verse 6 is where I want to rest my case. Let’s
have church and let’s go home!
SCREENS> Nehemiah 4:6 So we built the wall and the whole
wall was joined together to half its height, for the people
had a mind to work.

8. Nehemiah is going to make me lose my mind, because in all
of this, He never turns around to address Sanballat, he just
keeps working. Which brings me to my closing point of
today’s feeble dissertation,
SCREENS> Champions Don’t Fight Back, We Fight Forward
I’m too busy working on what God has called me to, to fight
back! I gotta keep fighting forward!
 SO….we built the wall (So means anway)
o Let the Redeemed of the Lord Say SO!
 We got the work done…had a mind to work
o Unpack Mind to Work
o Mind was on the work, not the foolishness
CLOSE RIGHT HERE!