The Plain of Ono
Introduction:
We have all heard the
statement: “Those who do not remember the past are
destined to repeat it.” God’s Word tells us that the
Old Testament Scriptures were written for our learning.
(Romans 15:4) So by examining events during the days of
the Old Testament, we can be better prepared not to
repeat the mistakes made back then.
Text:
Nehemiah 6:1-2
"Now it happened when Sanballat, Tobiah, Geshem the
Arab, and the rest of our enemies heard that I had
rebuilt the wall, and that there were no breaks left in
it (though at that time I had not hung the doors in the
gates), 2 that Sanballat and Geshem sent to me, saying,
"Come, let us meet together among the villages in the
plain of Ono." But they thought to do me harm."
Body:
I.
The Background
·
Nehemiah was
saddened to hear about his brethren’s affliction back
home and that the walls of Jerusalem remained broken
down. (Nehemiah 1:3-4)
·
Nehemiah resolved
to rebuild Jerusalem and its walls. (Nehemiah 2:17)
·
Israel’s enemies
laughed at and despised their plans. (Nehemiah 2:19)
They mocked their efforts. (Nehemiah 4:1-3) They tried
to stop the work by threats. (Nehemiah 6:3-13)
II.
Threats from the Secular World
·
Scripture warns us
about not going down to the plain of Ono, not joining
ourselves with the world. (Romans 12:1-2) Christians
are to be different than the society in which they
live. Also see James 4:4. Being friends with the world
causes us to become enemies of God. (I
John 2:15-16)
·
The world wants us
to compromise in several areas:
o
Alcohol – The world
says social or recreational drinking is just fine.
(Proverbs 20:1, Proverbs 23:29-32)
o
Sexual morality –
Sex outside of marriage is OK as long as it is between
consenting adults; same-sex marriage is fine as long as
they love each other. (I Corinthians 6:18, I
Thessalonians 4:3)
o
Honesty – It’s OK
to bend the truth as long as no one gets hurt.
Dishonesty is expected in the workplace to “get ahead.”
(Colossians 3:9, Ephesians 4:25)
o
Abortion – The
unborn are not human so ending their lives is not
wrong. (Luke 1:41, 44)
III.
Threats from the Religious World
·
Many in the
religious world want to minimize
doctrine. (II Timothy
4:1-4) They want to just agree to disagree. But God’s
Word calls for unity, not union. (John 17:20-21) Real
unity is based upon the word of the apostles and the
inspired writers.
·
Rather than
ignoring or putting aside the faith, we are to
contend for it! (Jude 3) Scripture warns that some
will depart from the faith. (I Timothy
4:1-3)
·
The apostle Peter
declared, “We ought to obey God rather than men.” (Acts
5:29)
Conclusion:
The Lord’s people have too much
work to do to go down to the plain of Ono. We must not
be influenced by either the secular world or religious
world. Too much is at stake.
Bobby
Stafford
January 25,
2015
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