The Persecution of Grace

Murphy’s Law states that anything that can go wrong will go wrong.  Even those living in the magnificence and wonder of God’s grace find that such a marvel does not go unchallenged for very long.  Whatever can go wrong… seems to go wrong! 

This truth is illustrated as we trace God’s grace within the book of Nehemiah.  The pain of grace has been addressed through the prayers of grace.  Nehemiah has become a person of grace motivating leaders and Jerusalemites to accept the prompting and plan of God’s grace.  As they all seek to fulfill the purposes of that grace,  Murphy’s Law enters through the form of persecution!

This lesson will examine three elements of this persecution found in the events of Nehemiah chapter four:

1. Ridicule  –  we see that persecution ridicules the people, their persuasion, the plan and their product.
2. Threats  –  leveled against the work have their birthplace in anger and conspiracy.
3. Discouragement  –  the objective of the persecutors is to create a disturbance through the element of discouragement.

However, this chapter also provides the prescription for dealing with these elements of persecution.  The defenses include:

1. Prayer
2. Preparation
3. Pulling together
4. Pushing on

Grace-filled followers of God will experience persecution!   Paul clearly stated that:  “All who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted”  (2 Tim. 3:12).   Persecution is far from a curse levied against weary or weak spiritual warriors.  It comes to “all who desire to live godly”!    Persecution shows up in Jerusalem when the faithful are fulfilling the plan of God.   So, persecutions are an inevitable part of the believer’s journey.   However, Jesus taught that within persecution one could experience a “blessing” (Mt. 5:10-12).  Some of those blessings are witnessed in the defenses of prayer, preparation, pulling together, and pushing on.    Nehemiah aids us greatly in discovering how persecution works and how to work through persecution to the point of blessing.

 

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