Building Together - "Moving Toward a Preferred Future - Nehemiah Overview" - Tim Nay

LifeSpring Christian Church Sermons

Moving Toward a Preferred Future
Nehemiah Overview
Tim Nay

Part of Building TogetherA Study in Nehemiah

June 23, 2024

Why Nehemiah?
The leadership principles and attitude of Nehemiah are just as relevant today as they were in 445 BC.

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. —Hebrews 13:8

History Leading up to Nehemiah • 70 Years of Babylonian captivity. • Zerubbabel leads the rebuilding of the temple. • Ezra returns to the temple in Jerusalem for the dedication in 458 BC. • Nehemiah rebuilds the walls of Jerusalem in 444 BC.
Building together: Moving Toward a Preferred Future • Having compassionate, humble, repentant, prayerful hearts.

1 The words of Nehemiah the son of Hacaliah.Now it happened in the month of Chislev, in the twentieth year, as I was in Susa the citadel, 2 that Hanani, one of my brothers, came with certain men from Judah. And I asked them concerning the Jews who escaped, who had survived the exile, and concerning Jerusalem. 3 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.”4 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. —Nehemiah 1:1-4

• Making sure every individual has a part to contribute.

3 Then Eliashib the high priest rose up with his brothers the priests, and they built the Sheep Gate. They consecrated it and set its doors. They consecrated it as far as the Tower of the Hundred, as far as the Tower of Hananel. 2 And next to him the men of Jericho built. And next to them Zaccur the son of Imri built. —Nehemiah 3:1-2

• Realizing opposition will happen.

4 Now when Sanballat heard that we were building the wall, he was angry and greatly enraged, and he jeered at the Jews. 2 And he said in the presence of his brothers and of the army of Samaria, “What are these feeble Jews doing? Will they restore it for themselves? Will they sacrifice? Will they finish up in a day? Will they revive the stones out of the heaps of rubbish, and burned ones at that?” 3 Tobiah the Ammonite was beside him, and he said, “Yes, what they are building—if a fox goes up on it he will break down their stone wall!” —Nehemiah 4:1-36 So we built the wall. And all the wall was joined together to half its height, for the people had a mind to work. —Nehemiah 4:65 Now there arose a great outcry of the people and of their wives against their Jewish brothers. 2 For there were those who said, “With our sons and our daughters, we are many. So let us get grain, that we may eat and keep alive.” 3 There were also those who said, “We are mortgaging our fields, our vineyards, and our houses to get grain because of the famine.” 4 And there were those who said, “We have borrowed money for the king’s tax on our fields and our vineyards. —Nehemiah 5:1-4

• Giving God the honor for what He accomplished.

15 So the wall was finished on the twenty-fifth day of the month Elul, in fifty-two days. 16 And when all our enemies heard of it, all the nations around us were afraid and fell greatly in their own esteem, for they perceived that this work had been accomplished with the help of our God. —Nehemiah 6:15-16

TAKEAWAY
Plans done God’s way and with God’s timing, get God-Sized results.

20 Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, —Ephesians 3:20