Celebrating God's Accomplishments - Nathan Rages

In Neh. 6:15-16 and 12:27-43 we have the joyous conclusion to the Jerusalem wall-building project.  Those events can be summarized with these four concepts:

1. The SPEED of project completion.  (6:15)

2. The HUMILIATION of the enemies.  (6:16)

3. The PURITY of the worshippers.  (12:30)

4. The REJOICING in the Lord.  (12:27-43)

7 Ways to Destroy a Good Leader - Nathan Rages

In Nehemiah 6:1-14, the enemies of God turn their attention completely on Nehemiah himself, attempting to destroy this good leader using the following seven tactics -- tactics which the Devil still uses against believers today:

1. Isolation (v2)

2. Distraction (v3)

3. Repetition (of temptations) (v4)

4. Slander (v5-8)

5. Fear (v9,13,14)

6. Bad advice (v10-14)

7. Irreverence (v10,13)

Restoring Unity Among Believers - Nathan Rages

Nehemiah chapter 5 describes the greatest threat to the Jerusalem wall-building project: disunity among the Jewish people.  Through Nehemiah's wise leadership, God quickly and amazingly restored their unity.

1. The *problem* of disunity.

  

2. Nehemiah’s *response* to the disunity:

(a) His emotion

(b) His courage

(c) His persuasion

(d) His repentance

(e) His integrity

 

Devote Yourselves to Prayer - Jon Beary

Col 4:2 "Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with an attitude of thanksgiving"

Help for Weary and Vulnerable Saints - Nathan Rages

In 4:7-23, Nehemiah confronts his toughest crisis yet when the Jews' enemies conspire to attack and kill the wall-builders, who have become weary and discouraged.  By God's grace, Nehemiah crafts a 5-part solution to overcome the challenges, all of which can be applied to ourselves.  

The Problem: Threatened attacks and extreme exhaustion.

  

The Solution:

1. Prayer

2. Watchfulness

3. Encouragement

4. Balance

5. Assistance

Resisting Ridicule - Nathan Rages

As Nehemiah oversaw the rebuilding of the Jerusalem wall, he had to overcome various hindrances, the first of which was ridicule (Neh. 2:19-20, 4:1-6).

The Problem of Ridicule: 

a. Toward the wall-builders

b. Toward the Lord Jesus

c. Toward us today 

  

Ways to Respond Righteously to Ridicule:

a. Declaring absolute confidence in God.

b. Praying for vindication.

c. Persevering in the work.

Lessons (About Serving Christ) from a Lengthy List of Long ago Laborers ...

Nehemiah chapter 3 is just a long listing of the people responsible for working on different sections of the Jerusalem wall.  Yet even this unusual passage contains many helpful lessons for believers as we serve the Lord today: 

1. Your service is holy.  

2. Your fellow-servers are diverse.

3. You usually serve best near home.

4. You need personal accountability. 

5. Your zeal is inspiring to others. 

6. Your service is remembered forever.