Nehemiah: God s Kind of Leader for Today s World. Neh. 1-13

Transcription

1 Nehemiah: God s Kind of Leader for Today s World Neh. 1-13

2 Ch. 1-6: Work on the Wall Ch. 7-13: Worship by the People

3 1. Organizer Prayer 1:3-4, The remnant there in the province who survived the captivity are in great distress and reproach, and the wall of Jerusalem is broken down and its gates are burned with fire. When I heard these words, I sat down and wept and mourned for days; and I was fasting and praying before the God of heaven.

4 Burden 2:3, I said to the king, Let the king live forever. Why should my face not be sad when the city, the place of my fathers tombs, lies desolate and its gates have been consumed by fire?

5 Vision 2:5, I said to the king, If it please the king, and if your servant has found favor before you, send me to Judah, to the city of my fathers tombs, that I may rebuild it.

6 Jer. 29:11-13, For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart

7 2. Resilient Mockery 4:1-2, Sanballat mocked the Jews. What are these feeble Jews doing? Are they going to restore it for themselves? Can they offer sacrifices? Can they finish in a day? Can they revive the stones from the dusty rubble even the burned ones?

8 4:3, Tobiah the Ammonite Even what they are building if a fox should jump on it, he would break their stone wall down!

9 Conspiracy 4:7-8, Now when Sanballat, Tobiah, the Arabs, the Ammonites and the Ashdodites heard that the repair of the walls of Jerusalem went on, and that the breaches began to be closed, they were very angry. All of them conspired together to come and fight against Jerusalem and to cause a disturbance in it.

10 Extortion 5:7, You are charging your own people interest! 5:9, I said, The thing which you are doing is not good; should you not walk in the fear of our God because of the reproach of the nations, our enemies?

11 Compromise 6:2-3, Sanballat and Geshem sent a message to me, saying, Come, let us meet together at Chephirim in the plain of Ono. But they were planning to harm me. So I sent messengers to them, saying, I am doing a great work and I cannot come down. Why should the work stop while I leave it and come down to you?

12 Slander 6:6, It is reported among the nations, and Gashmu says, that you and the Jews are planning to rebel; therefore you are rebuilding the wall. And you are to be their king, according to these reports.

13 7, You have also appointed prophets to proclaim in Jerusalem concerning you, A king is in Judah! And now it will be reported to the king according to these reports. So come now, let us take counsel together.

14 Treachery 6:10, When I entered the house of Shemaiah the son of Delaiah, son of Mehetabel, who was confined at home, he said, Let us meet together in the house of God, within the temple, and let us close the doors of the temple, for they are coming to kill you, and they are coming to kill you at night.

15 12, Then I perceived that surely God had not sent him, but he uttered his prophecy against me because Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him.

16 1 Cor. 15:58, Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord.

17 3. Spiritually focused Consecration of the People 8:1, And all the people gathered as one man at the square which was in front of the Water Gate, and they asked Ezra the scribe to bring the book of the law of Moses which the LORD had given to Israel.

18 Study of the scriptures 2-3, Then Ezra the priest brought the law before the assembly of men, women and all who could listen with understanding, on the first day of the seventh month. He read from it before the square which was in front of the Water Gate from early morning until midday.

19 Psalm 19:10, They are more desirable than gold, yes, than much fine gold; Sweeter also than honey and the drippings of the honeycomb.

20 Worship of God 5, Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people for he was standing above all the people; and when he opened it, all the people stood up. Then Ezra blessed the LORD the great God.

21 6, And all the people answered, Amen, Amen! while lifting up their hands; then they bowed low and worshiped the LORD with their faces to the ground.

22 4. Disciplinarian 13:8, It was very displeasing to me, so I threw all of Tobiah s household goods out of the room.

23 13:11, So I reprimanded the officials and said, Why is the house of God forsaken?

24 13:17, Then I reprimanded the nobles of Judah and said to them, What is this evil thing you are doing, by profaning the sabbath day?

25 13:25, I rebuked them and called curses down on them. I beat some of the men and pulled out their hair. I made them take an oath in God s name and said: You are not to give your daughters in marriage to their sons, nor are you to take their daughters in marriage for your sons or for yourselves.

26 Nehemiah: God s Kind of Leader for Today s World