Nehemiah - Pray, Plan, and Persevere
Nehemiah - Pray, Plan, and Persevere
What do you know about Nehemiah? Did you know He stands with Old Testament heroes like Moses, Joshua, and David? Charles Spurgeon once said; "We are not all called to govern, as Nehemiah did, with an iron hand, but we ought to be equally inflexible, decided, and resolute for God, and His holy will. Let's face it, God's work has never been easy, and in these last days, it's getting more and more difficult to serve. The Enemy is ·hurling his ammunition at us as never before and he's getting his subtle traps where we least expect them.
But that's no reason to get discouraged or quit because the same great God who enabled Nehemiah to finish building the walls of Jerusalem will enable us to finish our course with joy and accomplish the work He has called us to do. Study with me and learn how to pray, plan, and persevere like Nehemiah.
1. WHO CARES? (Nehemiah chapter 1)
Do you realize, the worst sin toward our fellow creatures is not to hate them, but to be indifferent to them: that's the essence of inhumanity." George Bernard Shaw put those words into the mouth of the Rev. Anthony Anderson in the second act of his play The Devil's Disciple. The statement certainly summarizes what Jesus taught in the parable of the good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37), and it rebukes all those who fold their arms complacently, smile benignly, and say somewhat sarcastically, ''Ask me if care!" Nehemiah was the kind of person who cared. He cared about the traditions of the past and the needs of the present. He cared about the hopes for the future. He cared about his heritage, his ancestral city, and the glory of his God.
2. ON THE MOVE (Nehemiah chapter 2)
Unknown to him, Nehemiah was about to join the glorious ranks of the "champions of faith," and in the centuries to follow, his name would be included with heroes like Abraham, Joseph, Moses, Joshua, Esther, Deborah, and David. One person can make a big difference in this world, if that person knows God and really trusts in Him. Because faith makes a difference, we can make a difference in our world to the glory of God.
3. BLESSED BUILDERS (Nehemiah chapter 3)
Nehemiah faced a great challenge and had great faith in a great God, but he would have accomplished very little had there not been great dedication on the part of the people who helped him rebuild the wall. With the kind of humility that befits a godly leader, Nehemiah gave all the credit to the people when he wrote, "So we built the wall ... for the people had a mind to work" (Nehemiah 4:6).
4. OVERCOMERS (Nehemiah chapter 4)
One of the powerful messages of Nehemiah is how much you can accomplish when you align yourself with the will and plan of God.
Nehemiah and his followers do what seems to be the impossible because they are doing what God has called them to do. You don't have to rebuild a wall to do the will of God. But you can bet there will be spiritual resistance and opposition.
5. SELFISHNESS (Nehemiah chapter 5)
When the Enemy fails in his attacks from the outside, he then begins to attack from within; and one of his favorite weapons is selfishness. If he can get us thinking only about ourselves and what we want, then he will win the victory before we realize that he is even at work.
6. THE ENEMY IS A LIAR (Nehemiah chapter 6)
The work had been interrupted by the calling of the assembly and the solving of the economic problems, and now it was time for everybody to get back to his or her place on the wall. But Nehemiah's enemies would also be busy. This time they would aim their ammunition especially at Nehemiah and try to defeat him with four devilish devices. Under Nehemiah's gifted leadership, the people completed the rebuilding of the walls. Now all that remained to do was the restoration of the gates and the strengthening of the community within the walls.
7. RETURNING EXILES (Nehemiah chapter 7)
The walls were completed, the gates were restored, and the enemy was chagrined, but Nehemiah's work was not finished by any means. Nehemiah had been steadfast in building the walls and in resisting the enemy, and now he had to be steadfast in consolidating and conserving the gains. A city is much more than walls, gates, and houses; a city is people. In the first half of this book, the people existed for the walls, but now the walls must exist for the people. It was time to organize the community so that the citizens could enjoy the quality of life God wanted them to have. God had great things in store for Jerusalem, for one day His Son would walk the city streets, teach in the temple, and die outside the city walls.
8. FOUNDATION OF FAITH (Nehemiah chapter 8)
French author Victor Hugo said over a century ago, "England has two books, the Bible and Shakespeare. England made Shakespeare but the Bible made England." Whether the Bible is "making" any nation today may be debated, but one thing is sure: The Scriptures helped to "make" the nation of Israel. They are a "people of the Book" as no other nation has been, and the church today would do well to follow ancient Israel's example. When God's people get away from loving, reading, and obeying the Word of God, they lose the blessing of God. If we want to be like fruitful trees, we must delight in God's Word (Ps. 1:2-3).
9. HOW GREAT IS OUR GOD (Nehemiah chapter 9)
Jehovah God is the main subject of this chapter- who He is, what He does for His people, and what His people must do for Him. This prayer reviews the history of Israel and reveals both the majesty of God and the depravity of man. Israel responded to God's great kindness, great mercy, and great goodness with great provocations that resulted in great distress.
10. MAKING A COVENANT (Nehemiah chapter 10)
It's one thing to offer the Lord a passionate prayer of confession, such as we have in chapter 9, and quite something else to live an obedient life after we say ''Amen." But the people in the assembly were serious· about their praying and were determined, by God's grace, to make a new beginning and live to please the Lord.
11. GIVE IT TO THE LORD (Nehemiah chapter 11 & 12)
Nehemiah knew that the nation of Israel could never be strong as long as Jerusalem was weak. But Jerusalem could not be strong unless the people were willing to sacrifice. Nehemiah calls on the people to present three sacrifices to the Lord for the sake of their city, sacrifices that God still calls His people to give for the sake of the church He is building in this world.
12. PROMISES (Nehemiah chapter 13)
Nehemiah discovered that the fires of devotion had gone out in Jerusalem. His first term as governor lasted for twelve years (5:14), after which he returned to the palace to report to the king (13:6). He was home for perhaps a year, but when he returned to Jerusalem, he discovered that the situation had deteriorated dramatically, for the people were not living up to the vows they had made (chap. 10). Nehemiah immediately began to act decisively to change the situation.
Without spiritual leadership, God's people are prone to stray like sheep.
13. GREAT LEADERS - Conclusion
The church today could use leaders like Nehemiah. We have a lot of rubbish to remove and rebuilding to accomplish before the world will believe that our God is real and our message is worth believing.
What are the characteristics of this man that we ought to emulate? In this last lesson, we'll look at twelve qualities that made Nehemiah a successful leader.
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