1. Stone of Confrontation

2. I wish...
No Jonah 4
No Nehemiah 13
No wayward member

3. Without spiritual leadership, God’s people are prone to stray like lost sheep
Without spiritual courage, God’s people are prone to stay lost
While Moses was away (Exodus 32), the people practiced idolatry
Paul left the work of the local church in the hands of the shepherds only to have savage wolves come in among them (Acts 20)
Nehemiah left after twelve years of governing (5:14) to report to King Artaxerxes

4. When Nehemiah returned to Jerusalem, he discovered that God’s people were not living up to the word (Nehemiah 10)
They had mixed the worldly things with godly things
God’s people were not to mix with the people of Ammon and Moab (13:1-3)
It was “mixed multitudes” that gave Moses trouble (Numbers 11:4-6)
Mixed multitudes can trouble a local church

5. The “mixed multitude” of the church is unsaved people consider themselves saved because of their fellowship with God’s people
We are not to be passive but proactive
We need to contend for the faith, fight the good fight, and confront those overtaken by sin
Nehemiah knew the need to confront sin

6. The Stone of Confrontation

7. He confronted the practice of the priest
Eliashib, the priest, had allied with Tobiah (13:4)
Tobiah was an enemy of God. He ridiculed the work and threatened God’s workers
While Nehemiah was away, Eliashib gave a large room in God’s house for the enemy

8. Confrontation
Nehemiah was proactive
He confronted the situation (13:11)
Solution
The situation was corrected because of Nehemiah’s courage
The house of God was filled back with offerings

9. He confronted the practice of the Sabbath
In Nehemiah 10, the people promised not to do business with the Gentiles on the Sabbath
In Nehemiah 13, God’s people went against their word and disobeyed God’s Law on the Sabbath
It’s sad how soon we forget
Nehemiah saw them working and buying from the pagans (13:15-16)

10. Confrontation
Nehemiah was proactive
He confronted the situation by warning them, questioning them, and reminding their past
Solution
The gates were closed the night before the Sabbath and opened the morning after the Sabbath
Guards were posted at the gates
Nehemiah prayed (13:22)

11. He confronted the practice of their marriages
In Nehemiah 10, they vowed not to give their daughters as wives to the people of the lands (10:30)
Jews had married women of Ashdod, Ammon, and Moab (13:23)

12. Confrontation
Nehemiah was proactive
He pronounced them cursed, struck them, and pulled hair out
Nehemiah’s confrontation is much stronger with the marriage
Solution
He made them swear not to enter such unions in the future
He gave them a history lesson (13:26)
He prayed to God (13:29)

13. If we will not stand for something, we will fall for anything