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Guest (Female): This is Connect with Skip Heitzig. Thanks for joining us today. Here at Connect with Skip, we love helping you understand God’s word and apply it to your life through clear, practical Bible teaching and real encouragement. And if you’d like help to keep growing in your walk with Jesus, sign up for Pastor Skip’s free weekly devotional. You’ll receive biblical insight, teaching highlights, and exclusive resources designed to help you stay strong in your faith, all delivered right to your inbox.

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Nate Heitzig: Let me ask you a question. Have you ever hit a major milestone in your life? I mean something huge, something you had been working on, praying for, for a long time that finally happened. Maybe you finally beat that addiction to that one sin that you had been struggling with, finished a big project, built a business, repaired a relationship, or made it through a hard season, only to realize that you're still under attack? Has anyone ever had that happen in your life?

You think, "Man, this one big thing, this battle that I was fighting forever, I finally won. I finally did it. I finally got to the top of that mountain, and I thought everything would be hunky-dory once I made it through that battle, but I'm still being attacked." Many Christians have the mistaken idea that once they make a commitment to Jesus Christ and seek to walk in the center of His will, they are in for smooth sailing from that point on.

They think, "Okay, now I'm a Christian. Now I'm in God's hands. I'm in God's plan. Everything's going to go perfectly now." But we all know, those of us who have been a Christian for any length of time, that just isn't so. It's not true. Certainly, knowing and walking with Jesus will help you avoid certain storms within your life and certain problems that would arise, but be aware that a different set of storms are on the way.

I think that many of us like the mountain top experiences with the Lord. They're so good, those mountain top experiences. You made it to the top. It feels good. We get to the top of the mountain and we just expect from that point on for God to airlift us from mountain top to mountain top, just victory to victory, no more defeats. I fought really hard for that win that I got and now I expect it to just be win after win after win.

We love it when our Good Shepherd leads us to green pastures and still waters. Does anyone like the green pastures and still waters? We rejoice that when we're cast down, He seeks to restore us and lift us up. We love all the places that He leads us and guides us to, except for one. Green pastures are great unless those pastures happen to be on the show *The Walking Dead* and you happen to find yourself being chased by zombies through the valley.

The yellow brick road is great until the flying monkeys come and snatch you. The still waters are beautiful until Jaws comes from the deep and takes a chunk out of you. We can sometimes look at our lives and say, "God, don't You know that my life isn't supposed to look like an Alfred Hitchcock movie but a Disney movie? #HakunaMatata. #DoYouWantToBuildASnowman. That's what my life is supposed to look like."

Sometimes we think that life with the Shepherd should be like Bambi, skipping through the fields, playing with bunnies and cute skunks. Well, guess what, friends? Bambi's mom dies. That's the reality. And sometimes bad things happen in the good plans that God has for us. But valleys, storms, and trials are a part of the Christian life. In the text that we're reading here, Nehemiah chapter 6, as we close out, Nehemiah finishes building the wall.

It's a huge milestone. It's what they've been working for for 52 days: to complete the wall, to build the wall, and they do it. They win. They get the victory in miracle-speed time. But just when you would think the enemy taps out, he reloads. Because listen, just because the wall is done, it doesn't mean the war is over. Nehemiah was finished, but we're going to see tonight that he was still fighting.

In your life, Christian, you need to understand there are things God has called you to build. We've talked about that at length in this series. You're going to get to the end of some of those missions God has sent you on and you're going to find victory. You're going to win that battle. You're going to build that wall. You're going to be on that mountain top and you're going to be finished, but you're going to find that you're still fighting. Sometimes the real battles begin when the wall goes up.

Let's read Nehemiah chapter 6, verses 15 to 19 tonight and dive into our message. Verse 15 says, "So the wall was finished on the twenty-fifth day of Elul, in fifty-two days. And it happened, when all our enemies heard of it, and all the nations around us saw these things, that they were very disheartened in their own eyes; for they perceived that this work was done by our God."

"Also in those days the nobles of Judah sent many letters to Tobiah, and the letters of Tobiah came to them. For many in Judah were pledged to him, because he was the son-in-law of Shechaniah the son of Arah, and his son Jehohanan had married the daughter of Meshullam the son of Berechiah. Also they reported his good deeds before me, and reported my words to him. Tobiah sent letters to frighten me."

Let's stop there. In our text today, we're going to see three different things that we experience when we get through the victories of life and we find ourselves on these mountain top experiences. Number one, we see that the wall was finished, but the work wasn't over. Look back at Nehemiah chapter 6, verse 15. It says, "So the wall was finished on the twenty-fifth day of Elul, in fifty-two days."

Fifty-two days. I want you to think about this. Jerusalem has laid destroyed for almost a century. The walls have been torn down. There's been no repair in sight. Nehemiah goes to Israel, goes to Jerusalem with a mission on his heart to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem, and he gets done in 52 days what couldn't be done in almost a hundred years. Fifty-two days of backbreaking, soul-grinding, prayer-saturated work. Fifty-two days of sweat, prayer, pressure, and perseverance, and the wall is finished.

Again, the completion in just 52 days is nothing short of miraculous. Has anyone in here ever had a house project that you've done that you were told should take about two months, and how long does it take? Like a year and a half. This happens all the time where we do a project. You guys saw the bathrooms, how long it took to finish bathrooms. These are just bathrooms, and we're told it's going to be two months. Never mind, let's do eight months.

Fifty-two days to rebuild an entire city without the tools that we have today. Fifty-two days is extraordinary given the scale and the threats that Nehemiah faced along the way. That's not government timeline. That's God's power on display. This wasn't just a construction job. It never was. It was never just tools and timber and stone. This was a spiritual movement.

Nehemiah didn't just survive opposition, he finished the mission. Nehemiah didn't just rebuild a wall, he reshaped a city's identity. Again, that city that lay in ruins for over a century was now standing again. But I want to point something out. Just because it was fast doesn't mean it was easy. We've been in this text now in the book of Nehemiah for several months and we've seen all the trials that he faced.

We know all the battles that Nehemiah had to fight to get here, not only the building battles but all the confrontation, all the persecution, all the threats, all the lies. Nehemiah had to face a lot of battles to get here. So although it was fast, it wasn't easy. I want to point something out in our lives. You can't finish anything God-sized without also facing hell-sized opposition.

You can't finish anything God-sized without facing hell-sized opposition. And God has called you to a great work. We talked about that last week. He has called you to do a great thing. If you are busy about doing the God-sized vision that He has placed on your heart, recognize and understand you're going to face hell-sized opposition. Favor isn't the absence of resistance. Favor is the presence of God in the middle of resistance.

The fact that this work was completed is evidence of divine favor and leadership. The Hebrew word for "finished" when it says "the wall was finished" is the verb "kallah." And that word speaks and signals completion. It also echoes the Genesis creation language, suggesting God's providential empowerment to finish the work. As a matter of fact, we're going to see in just a little bit it's so evident that even the enemies of Israel, the unbelievers, the atheists look at the work that was done and recognize God did that.

That's how evident it was that God was the one who did this work. This wasn't just a wall. It was a witness to God's power. God can accomplish in days what men think would take years. And God finishes what He starts, and God uses people like you to do it. I asked you last week, what wall are you building right now? What is it that God has called you to build? Whatever it is, you need to recognize that if God called you to build it, God's going to help you finish it.

God finishes every project that He starts. God is the opposite of me. Every project that I start, I start and then I start a new one, and then I start a new one, and then I start a new one, and then I forget that I even started that one two years ago until my wife reminds me. That’s why God gives us a helpmate. God finishes every project that He starts.

The word "finished" or "kallah" also suggests completion with purpose, not just ceasing activity. There's a difference to say "I'm done." I might not have actually completed with purpose what I'm supposed to do. I might have just ceased doing something, ceased activity. The word "kallah" speaks to finishing with purpose.

Guest (Female): This is Connect with Skip Heitzig. We'll return to Nate Heitzig's teaching in just a moment. Every day, the generosity of friends like you helps make clear verse-by-verse Bible teaching available to people searching for truth, direction, and hope. And this month, we want to thank you with two powerful resources to help you follow God faithfully, even when life feels uncertain or challenging.

When you give, you'll receive the Expound Nehemiah seven-message CD series with digital download, along with Pastor Skip’s booklet, *Overcoming an Anxious Mind*. Together, these resources show you how God rebuilds what's broken, strengthens you when you face opposition, and gives you peace, even in seasons of pressure and waiting.

We'll send both resources as our thanks when you give $50 or more to support Connect with Skip Heitzig. Call 800-922-1888 or visit connectwithskip.com/offer. Now, let’s get back to the teaching of Nate Heitzig.

Nate Heitzig: God's work within our lives is both purposeful and time-bound, and God finishes what He starts. Philippians 1:6 reminds us, "being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ." And I want to let you know, whatever you've gotten through up to this point, whatever victories you've had, whatever battles you've won, you're here today, you're up to this point because God is with you. You didn't do it by yourself.

The British missionary Hudson Taylor, who was a contemporary of Charles Spurgeon, said this: "God's work done in God's way will never lack God's supply." Christian, I don't know what your life's looked like. I don't know what wars you've been in. I don't know what pain you've experienced. I don't know what you've had to overcome to be here tonight, but whatever it is, you didn't get here on your own.

You didn't get here because of your strength and your power. That healing, that restoration, that fresh start, it wasn't because of your hustle, it was because of His help. You didn't get through the depression, the addiction, the betrayal, the rebuild on your own. The wall didn't raise itself. God did it. God is working behind the scenes. When God gives you a "done" moment, when you find yourself on that mountain top, on top of that rebuilt wall, don't forget who brought you there.

The fact that you've made it this far is evidence of God's hand. Back to Nehemiah, just because it was fast, just because it was finished, it didn't mean the work was over. Again, we would look at this Nehemiah chapter 6, the whole purpose of the book is Nehemiah rebuilding the walls. That's the whole purpose. We would read this story and think, "Alright, the story is done, it's over. Nehemiah has come to a close. What's the next book in the Bible?"

And yet, I want you to recognize we're only halfway through the book of Nehemiah. And so while the mission of rebuilding the wall was done, the work wasn't over. The mission was accomplished, but the enemy is still active. Finishing one assignment doesn't mean the mission is over. And just because the wall is done doesn't mean the war is over. The wall was finished, but Nehemiah knew the real test comes after the celebration.

Finished isn't final, it's just the start of what God wants to build through you. And some of us get to the end of building something great within our lives and we kind of phone it in afterwards. We kind of get complacent. We kind of kick back and relax and say, "I did what God called me to do." Meanwhile, God's saying, "Yeah, but you're not done yet. All you showed me is that you're faithful to do what I've called you to do, so now I'm going to give you more."

This is the whole premise of the parable of the talents, that God rewards those who were faithful with what He had given them and He gives them more. Why? So they can do more. So when you come to the end of a wall being built, when you come to that mountain top, recognize that it's not over, it's just starting. Don't confuse a milestone with the mission being over.

Be careful because when you succeed, complacency often shows up right after victory. Times of greatest temptation often follow times of greatest triumph. When you think of David, two names come to mind. David and Goliath, and David and Bathsheba. One represented his greatest victory, the other his greatest defeat. One his greatest moment of faith, the other his greatest failure.

Right after the Father said, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased," the Devil was there to tempt Him in the wilderness. The Devil always opposes those who God approves, those who are obedient, those who are faithful to do what God has called them to do, those who stay on the wall and are up to a great work. Those become the biggest targets. And many times in our lives, the most difficult trials come after the greatest triumphs.

After the transfiguration of Jesus on the mountain top came a demon-possessed man at the bottom of the mountain. David, after slaying Goliath, was met with praise from the people and a spear thrown at him from Saul. Samson, after he destroyed a thousand enemies, met a girl named Delilah. Peter, who boldly stood for Christ and even hacked the ear off of a soldier, only hours later was ashamed to even acknowledge he knew Jesus.

No sooner had Israel been delivered from Egypt than Pharaoh came pursuing them with his army. Sometimes our wins can cause us to feel invincible and we can let our guard down. We can relax. Don't celebrate the wall if you forgot why you built it. You didn't survive addiction, heartbreak, or burnout just to coast now. Finishing what God started in you requires grit, grace, and God's presence. Don't stop now.

Satan would love for you to take your foot off the pedal. He'd love for you to put it on cruise control, unbuckle your seatbelt, start singing some country songs on the road, and get distracted. Why? Because Satan wants you dead. Satan wants you to be in the car wreck of your life. He wants to scrape your dead body off the pavement. Satan doesn't want you down, he wants you dead.

And when we put life into cruise control, when we stop doing what God has called us to do and we grow complacent talking about what He did last year or what He did 10 years ago or what He did when we were kids, when we allow that complacency to seep into our lives, that's exactly the moment Satan is waiting for. God finishes what He starts, but when He does, He's not done with you.

You're not just like a tool on His tool belt that He finished that project and now He's done with that tool. Even if the wall is finished, that doesn't mean He's finished with you. You'd think at this moment Nehemiah would kick back, celebrate, post a selfie with the wall, and go on vacation, go to Disneyland. That's not what he does. Check out what happens next.

The second thing we see is that the enemy was intimidated, but not repentant. Look at verse 16. "And it happened, when all our enemies heard of it, and all the nations around us saw these things, that they were very disheartened in their own eyes; for they perceived that this work was done by our God." The word for disheartened comes from the Hebrew root word "naphal," and it means to fall, to collapse, or to weaken.

So the enemies of Israel see that the work is done and they become disheartened. They fall, they collapse, they're weakened. What are they weakened by? They're weakened by the completion of the work that God had given them. They're weakened by what the Israelites accomplished, but more importantly, they're weakened by what God accomplished. The haters didn't just get quiet, they got shook. They got terrified.

Nehemiah didn't just build a wall, he built credibility. And now his enemies aren't just defeated, they're disheartened. Here's the principle for our lives. We talked about last week all of the different persecution we experience as Christians: the lies, the threats, the spiritual manipulation, all these things that we experience. But when you finish what God has called you to start, it exposes the weakness of every lie spoken against you.

Your greatest tool is finishing the work that they didn't want you to. Remember all the attacks Nehemiah has faced, all the lies that have been spoken to and about him, all the threats he's encountered? Throughout all of that, Nehemiah didn't fight back. What did he do? He just kept working. And now we see why. His work was his weapon, and the completion of his work was his victory.

He didn't need to say anything to defeat his enemies. He didn't need to raise a single sword or send a single threat back. He just needed to complete the work. God's victory is loud, even when you're silent. The best way to defeat your enemies isn't to get drawn into their game and get loud and get angry and fight back and yell back. It's to remain silent, keep doing what you're doing, and let God's victory silence your enemies.

Let God's victory be the thing that you hang above your mantle. Let God's victory be the driving force behind your life. The best counter-attack isn't getting revenge, it's completing the work. When you complete the work that God has given you despite the attacks of your enemies, it silences your enemies. They were disheartened, their confidence was collapsed. But why?

Continue on in that verse, it says, they were disheartened in their own eyes, why? "For they perceived that this work was done by our God." They were disheartened because they realized it was God who completed the work. The nations looked on at what had happened. Fifty-two days. This ragtag group of Israelites rebuilt the walls in 52 days. How could that be? They look on at the magnitude of the task and who's doing the task, and the only logical explanation left for these unbelievers is that they couldn't deny God's hand.

It has to be that God they worship. It's got to be that God, the God of the Israelites. They knew this wasn't just good leadership. It was God's fingerprint. Let me ask you, what's the last thing that you did in your life that was so crazy, so outlandish, so impossible, that only God could have pulled it off? Because if everything you've done in your life is something the world can look on and say, "Wow, you're really good. Wow, you're really smart. You're really talented. You're a great leader," if everything in your life is things that the world can pat you on your back for, you're doing too small of things.

God has called you to do things that, if it works out, the only logical explanation from an unbelieving world is that God did that. God did that. That is what God has called you to. Live in such a way that people say, "Only God could have pulled that off." Christian, your obedience is evangelism. Your endurance is a megaphone for God's glory. Your faithfulness makes God undeniably visible. When you stay faithful to what God calls you to build, even your enemies become unintentional worship leaders.

When you stay faithful, I'm going to say it again, to what God has called you to build, even your enemies become unintentional worship leaders. So let's make it our goal to make some more worship leaders in this city. Let's make it our goal to make some more worship leaders in this world, people who are unbelievers that will look at our lives and they will observe and recognize God's glory because of our work.

Guest (Female): We're so glad you joined us for Connect with Skip Heitzig today, featuring Pastor Skip's son, Nate Heitzig. Before we go, remember, your generosity helps share God’s word with people all around the world, offering truth, hope, and encouragement where it’s needed most.

And this month, we’d love to thank you for your gift of $50 or more by sending you the Expound Nehemiah seven-message CD series with digital download, along with Pastor Skip’s booklet, *Overcoming an Anxious Mind*. These resources will help you see how God rebuilds what’s broken in your life and gives you peace, even in the middle of pressure and uncertainty.

Give today at connectwithskip.com/offer or call 800-922-1888. We’ll see you next time on Connect with Skip Heitzig.