Sermon Title: "Let Us Rise Up and Build”

The message challenges God's people to respond to His work as Nehemiah and the people of Jerusalem did: develop a genuine burden, seek God in prayer, move into action, stand together, and keep building even when opposition comes. The ultimate purpose is not simply constructing a building, but reaching people with the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

This message is presented as “Let Us Rise Up and Build,” taken from Nehemiah 2:18. After Nehemiah told the people how the good hand of God had been upon him, they answered, “Let us rise up and build,” and strengthened their hands for the good work.

The message was preached by guest preacher Billy Cashwell, pastor of Benson Grove Baptist Church in Benson, North Carolina. He preached during a special service connected with Forward for Christ Baptist Church's sanctuary expansion groundbreaking.

Nehemiah learned that the people were in great affliction and reproach, the wall of Jerusalem was broken down, and the gates had been burned with fire. Instead of treating the news casually, he sat down, wept, mourned, fasted, and prayed before the God of heaven.

The sermon emphasizes that Nehemiah's burden interrupted his routine. He stopped what he was doing because the condition of Jerusalem mattered deeply to him. The challenge to Christians is to become willing to interrupt comfortable routines when obedience to God and the needs of His work require it.

Prayer was central to everything Nehemiah did. He mourned, fasted, prayed, confessed sin, and sought God's help before moving forward. Even when the king asked what he wanted, Nehemiah prayed before answering. His action grew out of prayer rather than replacing prayer.

Nehemiah did not simply blame everyone else for Jerusalem's condition. In his prayer he confessed the sins of Israel and included himself and his father's house. The sermon challenges Christians to consider their own responsibility, including failures to pray, become involved, or do what God has called them to do.

It means God's people should rally together around the work God has given them. Nehemiah had the burden, but the people joined him and strengthened their hands for the work. The sermon applies that directly to church members standing together, supporting the work, and using their different ministries for the glory of God.

No. The physical building is presented as a tool for ministry. The sermon repeatedly emphasizes that the church's true purpose is to preach the Gospel and reach men, women, boys, and girls for Jesus Christ. A larger sanctuary matters because it can help the church continue fulfilling that mission.

The church has one central purpose: to take the Gospel to people. When Nehemiah's enemies asked, “What is this thing that ye do?” the sermon uses that question to challenge Forward for Christ to clearly define its mission as preaching the Gospel and reaching people for Jesus Christ.

Nehemiah faced enemies who mocked the work, became angry, tried to discourage the builders, made accusations, promoted gossip, pressured him to compromise, and attempted to distract him from the work. The sermon warns that Christians should expect opposition whenever they become serious about doing something for God.

The repeated answer in the message is simple: keep building. When people mock the work, keep building. When they become angry, keep building. When discouragement or internal problems arise, keep doing what God has called you to do rather than becoming distracted by opposition.

Nehemiah refused to leave the work God had given him in order to entertain distractions and compromise. The sermon applies this to Christians and churches by challenging them to recognize the importance of their God-given mission and refuse to allow criticism, conflict, or distraction to pull them away from it.

Nehemiah could not rebuild Jerusalem's walls by himself. God brought people together who were willing to work. The sermon stresses that every part of church ministry matters, including preaching, children's church, nursery work, and other areas of service. Everyone works together to build for God's glory.

The message compares Nehemiah's burden for Jerusalem with the burden of a pastor for his community and the souls of people. Church members are challenged to stand with their pastor, pray for him, rally around the work God has given the church, and strengthen their hands together for that good work.

God alone should receive the glory. The sermon looks forward to the completed work not as something people can boast about, but as something others should recognize was accomplished by God. The desired testimony is that “this work was wrought of our God.”

The closing challenge is to keep on keeping on for Jesus. Christians should refuse to quit, refuse to become distracted by opposition, keep working together, keep reaching people for Christ, and remember that every area of faithful ministry contributes to the work God has called the church to accomplish.