Having studied Scripture, prayed, planned and acted, now Nehemiah will summon others to join him in pursuing God’s kingdom. God was certainly at work, but his promises seemed to … They stayed the course because Nehemiah stayed the course. This was a fulfillment of Scripture and he was exactly where God intended for him to be. When l looked at the bible verses l felt unsure what to write about. There was nothing noble to it. People noticed. On the one hand, Nehemiah certainly was still serving the king during these 4 months and could have said something before now, however most scholars note that he was probably waiting for the right time to present his request. Your children? He could have rested like Ezra did and met with the leaders of the Jewish community. -Nehemiah 2:4. The intensity of the conflict rose when the job was near completion. it was very displeasing to them that someone had come to seek the welfare of the sons of Israel. We must know the Word of the Lord and we must be preparing our hearts today to be used by Him. The King grants Nehemiah’s Request (1-10), As we looked at last week, Nehemiah was living in exile in Persia. What we are going to begin to see tonight is that the King answered Nehemiah’s request to return to Jerusalem and rebuild the wall and Nehemiah began to survey the walls after taking some time to rest. In addition, a new presidential administration means more change is on the way, and no one is certain where the change will lead. I recollect that our minister once said in his sermon, that if we were so foolish as to permit such people to laugh us out of our religion, till at last we dropped into hell, they could not laugh us out again." 2:11 I went to Jerusalem, and after staying there three days 12 I set out during the night with a few men. It also led to a brilliant career for Charles Dickens. You might be required to cast the vision for a team at work, or even for your church. . When they had finished, they were told to draw another picture of a man a little better than their first one. (Nehemiah 1:17). The children were told to draw a detailed picture of a man. So they gave the elm a name: the Survivor Tree. The Paperback Bible presents the Bible by the Book and is designed to be portable, readable, and truly personal with ample margins for notations. In the background to Nehemiah 2 are all the wonderful promises in Isaiah (e.g. I had not been sad in his presence before, 2 so the king asked me, “Why does your face look so sad when you are not ill? We are not told what Nehemiah did for these 3 days in Jerusalem. In what appears to be a last ditch effort to thwart Nehemiah’s efforts, Sanballat, Tobiah, and Geshem join forces to oppose him. And they said, Let us rise up and build. A financial planner will help a person in crisis first by understanding every expense, every debt, and every source of income. Bottom line? David was hardened for battle and struggle by the time he got to the throne room of Jerusalem in part because he’d worked so incredibly hard. Nehemiah 2:18 Then I told them of the hand of my God which was good upon me; as also the king’s words that he had spoken unto me. What walls and gates need work in your life? 2:11-20 In this section, we see the power that leadership has to get God’s work done. Everyone else saw obstacles and he saw opportunities. Look at the content of what they say here. Whenever a man like Nehemiah says, "I will arise and build," Satan always says, "Then I will arise and oppose." One evening while a man was driving down a country road, he lost control of his car and wound up in a ditch. Wait on God’s time; Seek the Lord for wisdom; Plan accordingly; Assessed carefully More and more, however, we are living in a culture that will interpret faithfulness to God and Christ as rebellion against the governing authorities. Sermon on Nehemiah 2 Sermon preached by Margaret Carter. Nehemiah runs into the same problem Ezra had found, in Jerusalem. Remember Walt Disney? This should be the desire for each and every one of us in this room tonight, that our instinct whenever an intense situation came our way would be to go to God in prayer and for that prayer to be saturated with the Word of God. Theoretically of course, all a pilot needed to do was push a button, clear the plane, then roll forward out of the seat so the parachute would open." If you would like more resources including full text messages, ... Beginning To Begin (Nehemiah 2:9-20) Some of the children got angry and displayed their resentment openly. Your marriage? So they strengthened their hands for [this] good [work]. His contemporaries: Ezra and Malachi. Nothing happened and the stranger looked around for a mule named Buck. The faith challenge is simple. Pray before you start. There are a number of application points to us today, but we continue on with verses 11-20 to see Nehemiah surveying the walls of the city. It turns out that as one man helps another man achieve his dreams, his purpose, in essence, he is also being helped, at the same time, to achieve his own, God-given purpose. 2:20 – Nehemiah’s response supports the possibility of Tobiah’s association with Ezra 2:60. This is a tragedy because God’s name is at stake in Jerusalem! 2:11 "three days" This was possibly a time of rest or prayer (cf. Speak now, for your servant is listening. Ezra and Nehemiah provide the biblical background, for they led a people facing far more difficult circumstances to a point of great success – in their work, in their national identity, and in their new understanding of faith. . to the Refuse Gate, inspecting the walls of Jerusalem which were broken down and its gates which were consumed by fire. Nehemiah’s private prayer spilled into his daily life. She adorns posters and letterhead. If God calls you to a heroic task, expect to work like a hero. “We his servants will start rebuilding, but as for you, you have no share in Jerusalem or any claim or historic right to it.”. When we catch up to this part of the story, Nehemiah has received permission from the king to rebuild Jerusalem, and he has carefully and prayerfully prepared for the work. He knows that he needs the people of God to accomplish the will of God. “The God of heaven will give us success,” Nehemiah said (2:20). Nehemiah was a great leader. That editor's compliment inspired him to continue and improve. But as you mature, you learn that the real world isnt quite as perfect as y… Every church needs encouragers. His role of tasting the King's wine to prevent him from being poisoned places Nehemiah in a place of trust and confidence. How can you put that enticement in the proper perspective? Nehemiah started out in verse 5 by saying “If it pleases the king” - this indicated that he was submissive to the king. Whenever we act according to God’s will, other people take notice. Rate this sermon from 1 to 5 'stars' with just a click, then close.] And if you dare ask God to answer your prayer, you might as well expect the same thing. Come, let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem so that we will no longer be a reproach.”, I told them how the hand of my God had been favorable to me and also about the king’s words which he had spoken to me. On Monday and Tuesday many students were frustrated with this portion of our schedule, but by the time Wednesday and Thursday came around, nap time was right up there with recreation and dinner time on the priority list! No one expected it to survive. Jerusalem was God’s city where His people lived (Nehemiah 1:9). The enemies of Nehemiah threw the king’s title into the conversation, implying that the work of Nehemiah’s people could get them into serious, serious trouble. Nehemiah was by far one of the best leaders in all of history. Nehemiah did not have the time to utter such a prayer, but whenever this intense situation arose, Nehemiah’s thought went to God. You might have to cast it for yourself. Today Disney World occupies 47 square miles, an area about the size of San Fransico! If you face “lean times,” you’d better have a good foundation on which you can “lean.” The miracle? 18 I also told them about the gracious hand of my God upon me and what the king had said to me. This indicates wise leadership as some things are better not publicized before their time. Just stay the course. That’s the time to stay the course. Vision for a very long time Christians in the direction of the Lord and ridicule in our place... Or criticized for his writing 2:20 ) rock and a silly way to end a message... 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