We Must Not Come Down
By Senior Pastor Dr. Bill Rains | March 15, 2026
Father, thank You for this host and for every soul present. Strengthen the sick and help us all stay faithful on the wall. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
On March 15, 2026, Pastor Bill Rains continues the 2026 theme “The Need For Nehemiahs” with the message “We Must Not Come Down” from Nehemiah 6:1–4. Sanballat and Tobiah, seeing the wall nearly complete, invite Nehemiah to a meeting in the plain of Ono — but their real intent is mischief. Nehemiah replies with one of the most powerful declarations in Scripture: “I am doing a great work, so that I cannot come down. Why should the work cease whilst I leave it and come down to you?” They repeated the invitation four times. He answered the same way each time. Pastor Rains: “We must not come down from the wall — no matter what the world offers.”
1. We Must Not Come Down Because It Is a Great Work
Nehemiah refused to descend because he was engaged in a **great work** — rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem after Babylonian ruin. Pastor Rains applies this to the church: we too are rebuilding lives ruined by sin, restoring families, and advancing the gospel. “This is not just a work — it is the greatest work in the world.” It is:
- Emmanuel work — we labor together with God (1 Cor. 3:9).
- Eternal work — everything else is left at the grave; souls last forever.
- Endangered work — the devil wants to stop it.
- Evening work — the night comes when no one can work (John 9:4).
We cannot come down because the work is too important.
2. We Must Not Come Down Because of the Witnesses Surrounding Us
The enemies were watching. They hoped Nehemiah would descend so they could mock and hinder the work. Pastor Rains: “There are always onlookers and spectators. The devil watches for your fall.” When a believer (especially a leader) comes down from the wall, it gives the world reason to say, “See? It didn’t last.” Moses interceded when Israel made the golden calf, pleading that God’s enemies would not rejoice over their destruction. “We must not give the devil and his crowd the satisfaction of seeing us come down.” Our conduct affects the testimony of Christ before a watching world.
3. We Must Not Come Down Because of the Workers at Our Side
The builders worked in families stationed along the wall — “next to him,” “next to them.” When one section was threatened, the trumpet sounded and others came to help. Pastor Rains: “What one worker does affects the others.” Peter’s casual statement “I go fishing” caused the other disciples to follow (John 21). A quitter influences others to quit. A faithful worker encourages others to stay. “We affect one another. Don’t be the reason someone else comes down from the wall.”
I am doing a great work —
so that I cannot come down.
The work is too important.
The witnesses are watching.
The workers beside me need me to stay.
We must not come down.
Pastor Rains closes with urgency: “Don’t let anyone lure you down. Stay on the wall. Finish the work God gave you. The night is coming when no one can work.”
