Nehemiah 2:11-20 Building a Better Future As we Walk by Faith

Transcription

1 Nehemiah 2:11-20 Building a Better Future As we Walk by Faith

2 1. Faith Walkers take time for rest and reflection Neh. 2:11 So I went to Jerusalem and was there three days. (Cf. Ezra 8:32) Three month journey Neh. 2:1 Nisan = March-April Neh.6:15 25 th Elul = 20 th Aug.-Sept

3 Nehemiah s journey

4 1. Faith Walkers rest and reflect Mark 6:31-32 Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest. So they went away by themselves in a boat to a solitary place.

5 Rest & Reflection, Restores Mark 2:27 Jesus said to them, The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath.

6 2. Faith Walkers see reality Neh. 2:12 Then I arose in the night, I and a few men with me. And I told no one what my God had put into my heart to do for Jerusalem. There was no animal with me but the one on which I rode.

7 2. Faith Walkers see reality Neh. 2:13 I went out by night by the Valley Gate to the Dragon Spring and to the Dung Gate, and I inspected the walls of Jerusalem that were broken down and its gates that had been destroyed by fire.

8 Present wall vs. Nehemiah s wall

9 Nehemiah s walls vs Herod s walls

10

11 Modern City of David

12 Nehemiah s walls

13 2. Faith Walkers see reality Neh.2:14 Then I went on to the Fountain Gate and to the King s Pool, but there was no room for the animal that was under me to pass.

14 Pool of Siloam

15 2. Faith Walkers see reality Neh. 2:15 Then I went up in the night by the valley and inspected the wall, and I turned back and entered by the Valley Gate, and so returned.

16 2. Faith Walkers see reality Neh. 2:16 And the officials did not know where I had gone or what I was doing, and I had not yet told the Jews, the priests, the nobles, the officials, and the rest who were to do the work.

17 3. Faith walkers inspire others to action Neh. 2:17 Then I said to them, You see the trouble we are in: Jerusalem lies in ruins, and its gates have been burned with fire. Come, let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem, and we will no longer be in disgrace.

18 3. Faith walkers inspire action Neh. 2:18 And I told them of the hand of my God that had been upon me for good, and also of the words that the king had spoken to me. And they said, Let us rise up and build. So they strengthened their hands for the good work.

19 Our Mission Matt. 28:19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you

20 Our Power & Authority Matt. 28:18-20 And Jesus came and said to them, All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me... And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.

21 4. Faith walkers expect opposition & persecution Neh. 2:19 But when Sanballat the Horonite, Tobiah the Ammonite official and Geshem the Arab heard about it, they mocked and ridiculed us. What is this you are doing? they asked. Are you rebelling against the king?

22 In 1962 a letter was discovered from the Elephantine Papyri, 407 BC

23 Faith walkers expect persecution John 15:18-19 If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you

24 Faith walkers expect persecution 2 Tim 3:12 Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted,

25 Mocking & Slander are forms of persecution Prov. 16:28 A perverse man spreads strife, And a slanderer separates intimate friends.

26 God allows opposition to build us Rom. 5:3-5 Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit

27 4. Faith walkers handle opposition by trust & truth Neh. 2:20 I answered them by saying, The God of heaven will give us success. We his servants will start rebuilding, but as for you, you have no share in Jerusalem or any claim or historic right to it.

28 Those who walk by faith: 1. Rest & Reflect to Re-energize 2. Embrace reality to find solutions 3. Challenge others to meet needs and fulfill God s mission 4. When opposition comes focus on God, His promises and mission