REBUILDING

An Introduction to Nehemiah

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Nehemiah 1:3-4“And they said to me, ‘The remnant there in the province who had survived the exile is in great trouble and shame. The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates are destroyed by fire.’ As soon as I heard these words I sat down and wept and mourned for days, and I continued fasting and praying before the God of heaven.” (ESV)

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A Leader Is …• “Someone who can get others to do what

they don’t want to do—and makes them like doing it!” —Harry Truman

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Nehemiah Is About …•Dreaming big dreams

• Solving monumental problems

• The power of prayer

• Standing strong in the face of opposition

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You are a great man!• “No, I am simple and plain, I am an ordinary

man—highly motivated.” –Theodore Roosevelt

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Ordinary People•David

•Hannah

•Peter

•Mary & Joseph

• The Apostles

•Nehemiah

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Nehemiah 1:11“O LORD, let your ear be attentive to the prayer of your servant, and to the prayer of your servants who delight to fear your name, and give success to your servant today, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man. Now I was cupbearer to the king.” (ESV)

A GLANCE BACK …

A brief (???) history lesson

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A Divided Kingdom

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The Invasions• “Assyrian Invasion”—722 B.C., conquered

the Northern Kingdom

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The Invasions• “Assyrian Invasion”—722 B.C., conquered

the Northern Kingdom

• “Babylonian Invasion”—605-586 B.C. conquered the Southern Kingdom

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Psalm 137:4“How shall we sing the LORD’s song in a foreign land?” (ESV)

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2 Chronicles 36:18-20“And all the vessels of the house of God, great and small, and the treasures of the house of the LORD, and the treasures of the king and of his princes, all these he brought to Babylon. And they burned the house of God and broke down the wall of Jerusalem and burned all its palaces with fire and destroyed all its precious vessels. He took into exile in Babylon those who had escaped from the sword, and they became servants to him and to his sons until the establishment of the kingdom of Persia.” (ESV)

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The Invasions• “Assyrian invasion”—722 B.C., conquered

the Northern Kingdom

• “Babylonian invasion”—605-586 B.C., conquered the Southern Kingdom

• “Medo/Persian invasion”—538 B.C., Cyrus conquered Babylon and allowed Jews to return to their homeland

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Three “Returns”• Zerubbabel (538 B.C.)

• Ezra (458 B.C.)

•Nehemiah (445 B.C.)

• The Book of Ezra records the first two migrations and the rebuilding of the temple.

• The Book of Nehemiah records the third return and the rebuilding of the walls around Jerusalem.

A GLANCE AHEAD …

Nehemiah serves in three different capacities.

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Outline of Nehemiah• The Cupbearer

• The Builder

• The Governor

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Cupbearer“Now I was cupbearer to the king …”

(Neh 1:1, ESV)

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Builder“I inspected the walls of Jerusalem that were broken down and its gates that had been destroyed by fire … there was no room for the animal that was under me to pass.”

(Neh 2:13-14, ESV)

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Governor• The first thing Nehemiah does as Governor

is to stop and pray. After that, he calls Ezra to read God’s word.

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Nehemiah 8:1ff“And they told Ezra the scribe to bring the Book of the Law of Moses … he read from it … from early morning until midday … and the ears of all the people were attentive … and they bowed their heads and worshiped the LORD with their faces to the ground … and all the people wept as they heard the words of the law … and day by day, Ezra read from the Book of the Law of God.” (ESV)

A GLANCE INSIDE …

A look at our own hearts

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Excuses“Let someone else do it”

“The task is too big”

“Others have tried and failed”

“The King needs me”

“It’s not my problem”

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Rationalizations“I’ve not been trained”

“I don’t know how to lay stones”

“It’s not my gift”

“It’s not my calling”

“Let someone else do it”

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Concession“It’s too tough!”

“It’s too demanding!”

“It’s too dangerous!”

“It’s too demeaning!”

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James Bryant Conant• “Behold the turtle—he makes progress only

when he sticks his neck out.”

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Qualifications of Faithfulness•Adopt God’s objectives•Be willing to pay any price to have the will

of God fulfilled in your life•Have a love for the Word of God•Have a servant heart•Doesn’t trust in yourself, but in God•Have a love for people•Don’t allow yourself to become trapped in

bitterness• Learn to discipline your life

—Walter Henrichsen

REBUILDING

Let us commit ourselves to seeking God’s will for our lives and proceed undauntedly.