Built To Build – Build Through Opposition (Week 4)

Preacher: Pastor Barbie Erasmus

Worship:
Spend a few moments worshipping together, focusing on God’s faithfulness and strength to persevere.

Suggested Worship Songs:

• Firm Foundation (He Won’t) – Cody Carnes
• Another in the Fire – Hillsong UNITED

Worship Focus: Thank God that He remains faithful through every challenge, opposition, and season of difficulty. Invite Him to strengthen your heart to remain faithful and keep building.

Check-in:
Take a few moments to connect as a group.

• What has been a highlight and a challenge from your past week?
• What stood out to you most from Sunday’s message?
• Is there an area of life where you’ve recently needed perseverance?

Key Scriptures:

• Nehemiah 4:1-23
• Isaiah 43:1-4
• Nehemiah 6:1-4
• Nehemiah 6:15-16

Sermon Summary:
As the people rebuilt Jerusalem’s wall, they quickly discovered that obedience did not remove opposition. In fact, as progress increased, so did resistance. Nehemiah and the people faced mockery, threats, fear, discouragement, fatigue, rumours, and distractions. Yet they continued to build.

1. Don’t be surprised when obedience gets hard
   One of the key lessons from Nehemiah is that difficulty does not automatically mean we’ve heard God wrong. Sometimes we can be exactly where God wants us to be and still experience challenges, setbacks, and moments of discouragement. Faithfulness often means continuing in obedience long after the excitement of the journey has worn off.
2. Remember the Lord when discouragement gets loud
   When discouragement grew and fear spread among the people, Nehemiah reminded them: “Remember the Lord.” Their strength was not found in themselves but in God. Rather than striving in their own strength, they were called to persevere while depending on Him.
3. Pray, stay alert and keep building
   Nehemiah also demonstrated that perseverance requires both prayer and action. The people prayed, stayed alert, made wise adjustments, and kept building. Later, when distractions attempted to pull Nehemiah away from the work, he refused to leave his assignment, declaring: “I am doing a great work and I cannot come down.”

The message reminded us that when we remain faithful through opposition, the ultimate testimony is not our strength or determination, but God’s faithfulness and presence in the work.

Discussion Questions:

1. When Obedience Gets Hard
   The message reminded us that difficulty does not necessarily mean we’ve missed God’s will. Where have you become discouraged? Can you think of a season where doing the right thing became more difficult than you expected? What helped you remain faithful?
2. Remember the Lord
   Nehemiah’s response to discouragement was not “try harder,” but “remember the Lord.”
   What does it practically look like for you to remember God’s faithfulness when fear, discouragement, or weariness begin to grow?
3. Don’t Come Down
   Nehemiah refused to be distracted from what God had called him to do.
   What distractions, pressures, or competing voices most commonly try to pull your attention away from God’s priorities in your life? Where has God asked you to remain faithful and keep building? How can you stay focused on what matters most?

Prayer Pointers:
Pray together for:

• Strength to remain faithful when obedience becomes difficult.
• Courage to persevere through discouragement and fear.
• Greater dependence on God rather than striving in our own strength.
• Wisdom to recognise distractions that pull us away from God’s purposes.
• Continued unity, faith, and perseverance for the Edgemead and Goodwood campuses.
• A testimony that points people to God’s faithfulness and glory.

Weekly Application:
This week, take time to reflect on these questions:

• Where has obedience become difficult for me?
• What am I carrying that I need to bring back to God in prayer?
• What distraction may be pulling me away from what God has asked me to do?

Spend time praying through Nehemiah’s challenge: “Remember the Lord.”
Ask God to show you one area where He is calling you to remain faithful and take the next obedient step.